Ben’s lips twitch and I narrow my eyes. This isnotfunny. He raises his hands in a calming gesture. “Don’t worry. Male omegas don’t have a birth canal in the same way female omegas do. You were born via c-section.”
Relief floods through me, and I blow out a breath as my muscles relax. That’s one less thing to freak out over, but there are so, so many more.
Like, what if I’m already pregnant?
Almost involuntarily, my hand moves to my stomach.
Julien and I obviously didn’t think there was any need for contraceptives when he claimed me, nor for any of the other times over the last few days. I poke at my abdomen with one finger. Nothingfeelsany different. Wouldn’t I know something like that instinctively?
Or maybe not. Considering all the various brands of pregnancy tests on the market, I doubt anyoneknowsfor sure without one. Which means it’s not very likely that I have some sort of magical omega pregnancy sense. Is it weird that I’m relieved? I’ve spent my life being ‘different’ in one way or another and I don’t want to add any more oddities if I can help it.
I glance at Julien, who hasn’t said a single word. His blue eyes are wide, his gaze locked on Ben like the guy just… blew his mind, too.
Shit. I’ve been nothing but a complication since Julien met me, and he didn’t ask for any of this madness.
Well, neither did I, but that’s neither here nor there at the moment
The pack elders already hate me and would like nothing more than to get rid of me. Couldthisbe the last straw for Julien? I mean, there’s dealing with me and all my baggage and then there’s the idea of me being some sort of freak of nature.
“Julien…?”
My mate shakes himself, then turns his attention to me, his expression unreadable. He must see my fear and uncertainty, because he gives me a soft smile, then grabs my hand and pulls me closer to his side.
“That information will definitely take some time to process,” says Julien, “But how would it endanger Keir’s life?”
“As I’m sure you’re aware, omegas in general are rare and valuable,” says Ben. “Only one in a hundred thousand or so births is an omega and only one in a million is a male omega. Most births are betas, with about one in a thousand being an alpha. The child of an omega and their fated mate is either an alpha or an omega, about a 60/40 split.” Ben pauses. “But any child born of a second generation male omega is an alpha nearly one hundred percent of the time.”
And what does every Alpha want? An alpha child of his blood.
“Is that why my—Karina took me? To pimp me out as an alpha producer? How would she have known what I am?” My voice is strained and I have to swallow back my nausea at the thought of what might have happened.
“I don’t know,” says Ben, his brows pulling together. “You were already a week old before we ran into her and offered to help her. We let her think you were adopted, but she must have figured something out.”
Julien tenses beside me, his hold growing tighter as he pulls me even closer. “I’ve already claimed Keir,” he says. “The mating bond is complete and Remy said that means the, uh, magical perks can’t go to anyone else.”
“This is biology, not magic.” Ben pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sure, omegas can bring power and prosperity to a pack, but that’s only because they tend to have alpha children. There are no magical perks. Half the information out there about omegas, especially male omegas, is pure superstitious nonsense.”
“Then how…”
Ben lets out a dry chuckle. “How did Theo and I figure all this out?”
I nod.
“Much the same way you might have if I hadn’t shown up,” he replies. “Theo and I grew up together, but didn’t know we were fated mates until after his first shift when he figured out he was an omega. My uncle was the Alpha of our pack and he was… not a kind person. I knew what would happen if he found out about Theo.”
“He would have killed him,” I say. “Like my pack tried to do to me.”
Ben nods. “So, we left. I claimed him, and we lived in secret among the humans. When Theo started experiencing strange symptoms, I thought he was sick and didn’t know what else to do, so I reached out to the triumvirate and told them what Theo was. They directed me to a shifter doctor who’d been studying omega biology. The doctor monitored Theo throughout the pregnancy and she was also the one who delivered you. Afterward, she explained some of the stuff I’ve told you today and told us to keep your birth a secret.”
“So you did,” says Julien slowly. “And that’s why you had no recourse when Karina stole your child.”
Another nod. “The birth wasn’t recorded for obvious reasons and there were no adoption papers. To anyone who could have helped, Keir didn’t exist and even if we had been able to prove he did… Theo and I had no legal connection to him.”
“It doesn’t make sense.” I say half to myself. “Unless Karina already knew I was an omega, something you say is unlikely, why would she have taken me in the first place?”
Something tells me the answer to that question might be important.
But the only other person who I could ask about her—the guy who I spent most of my life thinking of as my dad—is dead. Unless…
