“Thanks for telling me about my parents, Oracle,” Alex said. “It helped answer questions I always had. Can we go back to why I’m a dual shifter?”
“Certainly, dear,” Oracle said, gently. “It is actually rather simple…the purpose of you being a dual shifter is so you can have two mates. Each animal would mate with another shifter’s animal in danger of becoming extinct. For instance, Glenn is a white, Siberian tiger shifter and there are only a dozen left in the world…and only three of them are gay…so if he is the mate who impregnates you, the cub will be just like him. And that goes the same for Sawyer.”
“Whoa! Wait a minute!” exclaimed Sawyer. “Mac said that couldn’t happen because we aren’t the same species. I would have to be a fox or a dragon in order to do that.”
“Ah, yes…right. If you will remember, I mentioned that Alex is a Universal Male Omega and you asked me…”
“What the hell is that?” said Glenn. “And how was it going to solve the gay shifters’ extinction problem? And I’d never heard of such a thing.”
“That goes ditto for me, too,” Sawyer said.
Rolling his eyes, Alex smirked. “Yup, ditto over here, too.”
“A Universal Male Omega can be impregnated by any shifter species…and their offspring will all be Universal Male Omegas. Each child will also be a dual shifter. So a child fathered by Glenn will be a white Siberian tiger and his other animal either a fox or dragon. And if Sawyer is the father, the child will be a wolf, and his other animal either a fox or dragon.” After pausing for a moment to let what she said sink in, Oracle said, “Oh, and of course, they will all be gay.”
Staring at Oracle, Alex sat there stunned, wondering if he was in an alternative universe he’d read about in the science fiction stories he loved.A Universal Male Omega! No freaking way! I can have cubs and…what’s a baby wolf called? Oh yeah, pups…cubs and pups!As pictures of tiny, white tiger cubs playing with… “Wait,” he said, looking at Sawyer. “What’s the color of your wolf?”
“Black…why?”
Ah yes!Alex’s eyes grew dreamy as he pictured his white tiger cubs playing with his black wolf pups. It was exactly what he wanted although he never knew it.Cubs…pups….it was almost too good to be true.Oh shit!Leaving his dream world, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Oracle. “You’re telling me the truth, right? I read an Oracle can’t lie but frankly, how do I know what I read was correct?”
Chuckling, Oracle replied, “The book is correct. As an Oracle, I cannot lie.”
“O.M.G. I’m going to have babies! How amazing is that?” Alex shouted, pumping his fist in the air.
Trying to absorb it, Sawyer remained frozen in place, finding it hard to breathe.A father! I can be a father? Holy shit! Wait until Mac finds out. Shit! Wait until Hunter finds out!
Glenn’s mind was working overtime, processing all the recent information about Alex—no, make that mates—that would make them prime targets if the word ever got out. How would he ever be able to protect them, even with his newly bestowed extraordinary abilities? He doubted he’d be able to, which led him to the next question. Who could he call on for help and, for the first time in his life, Smokey, Ghost and Riley weren’t his first choice. Hearing his name mentioned, Glenn realized Sawyer had asked Oracle a question.
“I do not know if Alex is pregnant, but the person you should ask is your brother Mac,” Oracle said.
Immediately realizing what Oracle was referring to, the blood drained from Glenn’s face.Pregnant? Alex might be pregnant with my cub?
Glancing at his mate, Sawyer watched the panic fly across Glenn’s pale face at Oracle’s comment. Grabbing Glenn’s hand, Sawyer squeezed it. “Hey, you okay?”
Noticing beads of sweat breaking out on Glenn’s forehead, Alex said “Love, breathe…breathe deeply…it’ll be all right. Sawyer, maybe you should call Mac…I think our mate is in shock.”
Shaking his head, Glenn muttered, “I’m okay…I was just surprised…that’s all.”
“Are you sure?” asked Alex, placing the back of his hand on Glenn’s forehead. “You don’t look so good to me. What do you think, Sawyer?”
Pressing two fingers against Glenn’s neck, Sawyer felt his mate’s pulse, counting the number of beats. Satisfied, he said, “He’s okay…just a little shook up over the possibility of being a father.”
“Lover?” Alex snapped his fingers several times in front of Glenn’s face. “Hey, you okay?”
Waving aside Alex’s snapping fingers, Glenn pulled himself together, the lives of his mates depended on him to keep them safe, especially if it turned out Alex was pregnant with his cub. And that meant he needed to find out who told The Collector about Alex. With his tiger on high alert now, Glenn looked at Oracle, hoping she could answer his question. “Do you know the names of Alex’s parents?”
“Jean-Luc is my Omega dad,” Alex said.
“I know, buttercup, but I want to know your dragon father’s name. Someone told The Collector and I’m betting it was the person who blackmailed your father.”
“I thought it was the lawyer,” Sawyer said.
“He’s still a possibility but he was always a long shot since he has a lot to lose if he did,” muttered Glenn.
“Whoever it was who blackmailed Alex’s father,” Sawyer added, “won’t have a problem selling the information.”
“My thought exactly,” replied Glenn. “Oracle, do you know who Alex’s other father was?”
