“Same,” Henry said.
I shot him an incredulous look. Henry seemed like the type who would have imagined having a perfect, happy family like his own.
“I’m being honest. I always wanted pack life, but I don’t feel like that has to involve kids.”
I wasn’t sure if they were just telling me what I wanted to hear.
Gray rubbed the back of my hand. “I’m sorry, love. I didn’t mean to tell you what to do.”
I scrunched my nose.
“Okay, maybe Ididmean to tell you,” he admitted. “I just can’t stand to see you suffer more than you already are. And no, I was never set on having kids.”
Now it was down to Liam. Sweet, loving, caring Liam, who I was sure would want kids.
“Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I actually got a vasectomy a few years back.”
My jaw dropped.
“There was a clinical trial at the hospital to see if a new type of vasectomy procedure would be more effective on alphas. I needed the money, and I didn’t think I’d ever be lucky enough to get a pack, so I did it.”
“Do you regret it?” I asked.
“No, sweetheart. You’d be an amazing mom, but you don’t need to be one to be an amazing omega.”
I sniffed. Damn, that was sweet.
“So you don’t think I’m useless because I can’t have kids?”
My guys started protesting loudly, telling me not to buy into that designation bullshit. It helped ease some of the fear inside me, and I relaxed into Bear’s chest.
“Why would you ask that, baby?” he asked.
“They were obsessed with fertility at the Designation Academy. It’s rare for an omega to be infertile. They kept doing transvaginal ultrasounds on me, as if something would have changed since the previous day. After about three dozen of them, they finally gave up on me,” I said.
“Three dozen? Fuck, sweetheart,” Liam said.
Memories of being strapped to that chair while they did them, how they never told me what they were going to do before they did it, flashed before my eyes. Dr. Bishop’s sneers when the tech showed him the same thing day after day. His lingering glances and occasional touches down…there.
“Wait,” Liam said, and it was like I could see the puzzle pieces come together in his mind. “Were those done by Dr. Bishop at the Designation Academy? I read that exposé. It said he forced omegas into unnecessary procedures.” He swallowed, looking like he was going to be sick. “He had a gynecological chair with these straps and chains?—”
“It was a long time ago,” I said, cutting him off. “Let’s just leave it.”
Liam looked like he was going to argue before Henry elbowed him in the ribs.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, and I picked at the comforter. “I think I need some time alone to process everything. I’m going to skate around the neighborhood for a bit.” I loved my guys, but right now, I needed space away from their too-observant gazes. When no one said anything, I glanced up.
“You want to skate around the neighborhood alone?” Liam asked.
“Yes,” I said. All the guys wore grim expressions. “Is that a problem?”
“No, of course not,” Henry said quickly.
“Are you sure it’s safe?” Gray growled.
“It’s a quiet neighborhood,” Henry said.
“Okay, then,” I said, slightly annoyed by how weird they were being. I was used to doing everything on my own, and I’d barely had any time alone the past couple of weeks. I thought I deserved some space to process this life-altering news. I pushed my way off the bed and changed my sweatpants for a pair of jeans and grabbed my skates from the closet.
