“Of course,” Taylor said fondly.
“Oh, right,” I said, placing a hand on my flat stomach. “On the topic of family members, there’s a new one in the works.”
Thystle choked while everyone else gaped in shock.
“Seriously, Matteo?” Thystle managed between laughs. “That’s how you chose to share that you’re pregnant?”
I shrugged. “What? There’s no point in hiding it.”
Out of everybody, Taylor seemed the least surprised. He grinned. “You’re right. Especially since you’re going to start showing in less than a month.”
My brows raised. “That soon?”
Crimson clicked his tongue at Thystle. “You didn’t explain anything about dragon pregnancy, did you?”
Thystle rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like I had tons of time between breeding my mate a couple days ago until the Games literally just ended.”
“Dragons,” Taylor mumbled, then grinned at me. “Congrats, Matteo. I can’t wait for our kids to have play dates.”
The mental image warmed my heart. “Me, too.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Alaric’s gaze flash enviously. I was deeply sympathetic to him. Being single while watching other omegas close to you find their fated mates and start families must’ve been an awful feeling.
As the groups dispersed and went about their business, I caught up with Alaric before he could slink off.
The cat shifter huffed when I put my hand on his shoulder. “What?”
“Your mate is here, Alaric,” I said. “He has to be.”
He pulled a face. “Iknowthat. I don’t need you to tell me.”
There was a disconnect between his words and his expression. He sounded nasty, but my reassurance softened the sharp edges in his face. This was his defence mechanism, like blending into the background and disappearing was for me. Or at least, it used to be before Thystle opened me up.
Alaric kept half-heartedly glaring at me. “Well?”
“I just wanted to say, thanks for being my friend during this season,” I said. “I appreciated your company.”
The guarded veil in his eyes dropped for a second before it flickered back. He grunted, but gave me a wry look. “That’s all you wanted to say? The hormones are making you mushy, Matteo.”
It was a compliment disguised as a jab. I had a feeling he wanted those exact same mushy pregnancy hormones more than anything.
I grinned. “Thanks, Alaric.”
“Now, get out of here before your thirty-second absence causes your dragon boyfriend to explode.”
Twenty-Two
Thystle
After the Gamesended and the hustle-and-bustle of TV production winded down, I took a couple days to recuperate with Matteo. By recuperate, I meant we fucked for hours in my bedroom while blasting his music. And by a couple days, I meant a week.
Thank Holy Drake my room was soundproofed.
I’d lost count of the rounds, but I was sure we’d completed the third that day. Or maybe the fourth.
I sighed contentedly as I cuddled up next to Matteo, inhaling his sweaty post-sex scent like a drug. “That worked up my appetite,” I mused. “Want to go hunting?”
A sly grin worked its way across Matteo’s face. “If I shifted now, I’d be weighed down by all the cum you just dumped in me.”
