Page 24 of Warwick

“Warwick?”

I blinked a few times and nodded. “Yeah. Umm…what do you wish to do? Master Edison was talking to me and let me know there were houses we could move into. Would you like to look at them? Not that we’re mated yet. We’re not, and I understand that you might not wish to have me as your mate.” I didn’t know how that would work exactly. Cecil was an omega, and he would go into heat. Would my beast become uncontrollable if that were the case?

Cecil glanced around. His scent changed, and immediately, I wondered why he was so upset. “What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk?” Cecil looked around again. “In private?”

I noticed a few other enforcers heading this way, coming from the direction of mated enforcer housing. I nodded at Cecil and reached out for his hand. When he placed his in mine, I thought about my place in single enforcer housing. We were once again standing in the entryway, and Cecil looked up at me with wide eyes.

“That’s going to take some getting used to. When you do it, I feel it in my stomach so much more.”

“I’m sorry. That’s actually been mentioned by others before. The best explanation we have is that our magic is a bit different from that of a warlock or fae. We are both shifters as well as magic wielders.”

Cecil nodded, then looked toward the house. “Is this your place?”

“Yes. It should be fairly private. Augustus lives two doors over, but he’s already at work. The place in between us is empty. Would you like to go sit?”

Cecil looked up at me expectantly with a small smile. I took that as a yes, so I led him into the house. It was never more obvious that my place was lacking in décor and furniture.

“Did you move in recently?”

That only proved my last thought, and I snorted. “No, and I was just thinking about how empty the place is.” We’d made it to the living room, and I gestured for Cecil to sit. “I sleep here, and that’s about all. Well, and shower. I eat at the council. Sometimes I watch television, but not often.” I sat beside Cecil and waited. When he didn’t start talking, I tried to think of a way to bring it up. “You wanted to talk?” I simply said.

“Yes.” Cecil looked down at his hands, which were laced together in his lap. He seemed nervous, which confused me as much as him being upset before.

“We don’t have to talk if you’ve changed your mind.”

“No, I want to.” Cecil took a deep breath before he looked up at me. “You know who my great-grandparents are.” I nodded. “Grandpa Lev is great. He’s probably my favorite person. He’s always understood that there was something going on between me and my parents, but he’s not ever pushed the issue.”

“I have only ever seen Alpha mate Lev from a distance. He’s at the council, I know, but he doesn’t seem as if he ventures too far from Alpha Vitomir’s office.”

Cecil smiled. “He’s usually trying to keep Grandfather calm. He’s incredibly stubborn and can tend to be brash at times.”

I chuckled. That was one way to describe the created polar bear. “I will only say that I agree with that.”

Cecil’s smile grew. “But Grandfather, despite all of that, is a good man. He’s lost children and grandchildren, and it hit him and Grandpa Lev hard.” Cecil shook his head as his eyes seemed to look off into the distance, but they weren’t focused. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about though. I wanted to know what you wanted from your mate?”

I thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out what he was asking. “Don’t all mates wish for the same thing?” I asked. “Damien and Ledger, Atticus and Brice. They are happy to be together. They go for runs together. Damien and Atticus get goofy smiles on their faces before they disappear for a bit and come back like they just had the best sex of their lives.”

Cecil bit his lower lip. “That sounds nice.” Cecil nodded. “But you’re an alpha though. And I’m an omega. Is that what you want? Would you rather have another alpha for your mate? Or are you looking for a family?”

I stared at Cecil. He was saying something to me without actually speaking the words. I could tell. But what?

“Do you not want a family? Or is it that you’re thinking I wouldn’t?” I waited when Cecil’s eyes widened a bit. I might have been close. “I’ll be honest that I don’t dislike kids. There are several around the council. But I don’t think I’ll be a good parent. I’m big, and most others tend to avoid me. My size is intimidating, and the thought of being responsible for a tiny being is something I never considered because I never thought to have a mate.”

Cecil took several deep breaths. “What if we didn’t have kids?”

I stared at Cecil, wondering why this line of questions. “You are an omega. Do you not wish for children?” I’d always heard that omegas were loving, nurturing, and were naturals when it came to raising families.

Cecil blinked several times before turning his head. “I want kids, but I can’t have them,” he whispered.

“What do you mean? We just met, so of course you’ve not been able to have children before now.”

Cecil met my gaze, and I saw tears in his eyes. “I can’t have children, Warwick. I’ve never had a heat cycle. I’m almost a century old, and I’ve never gone into heat. So if you want children, I won’t be able to give them to you in that way.”

I sat there looking at Cecil for a moment before I held out my hand. He took it, and I gave his a squeeze. “Children aren’t necessary. If you would like them, I’m sure that the council knows of shifter children that need families. We can go that route if you’d like. The council has already rescued several shifter children that have been placed. We can ask to be considered if that is what you wish.”

Cecil closed his eyes and with his free hand swiped at his cheeks. “You’d do that? You don’t think less of me because I can’t have children?”

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