Page 170 of Toxic

A few days after he bit me, I caught him looking into the hallway closet, rummaging through the pillows from the omega nesting kit I’d won.

When he noticed me watching, he blushed and muttered, "There’s a nice mint blanket in here. Maybe we could use it."

"Sure, Soren, if you see something you like, go ahead and take it."

I walked over to him, and he was holding the edge of the fluffy mint blanket in his fingers. I noticed two small pillows in the same color. "Maybe we should take these too? They match."

Soren’s eyes lit up. "Yes! They’re beautiful."

I didn’t comment further. We took the items to the bedroom, and Soren carefully spread the blanket out and placed the two pillows against the headboard.

***

Two days later, something happened at work. While we were sitting in the office, I noticed Devon and Fay glancing at Soren now and then, eyebrows slightly raised.

Later, when we went down to the cafeteria for lunch, Soren suddenly said, "Devon asked me something today."

"What about?"

"He asked if I’m pregnant because my scent smells like a pregnant omega’s."

My eyes widened. "Right… We didn’t think others would pick up on that. What did you say?"

Soren shrugged. "I told him the truth that today I forgot to use the deodorant that covers the pregnancy scent. Now I have to deal with it."

"Is this even that effective? You used it before, but I could still smell it on you."

"Yeah, well, but you were getting pretty… close to my skin. The rest of the people in college never noticed. And I didn’t want anyone else to figure it out. Even though it’s not the first thing people think of with a beta, they usually assume it’s just some body wash or cologne. But I didn’t want to risk even jokey questions."

"What did Devon say?"

Soren shrugged again. "He was a little surprised. He asked if I’m a beta with omega traits."

"Seriously? He’s heard of that?"

"They talk about it in advanced biology courses, even in high school. So I wasn’t too shocked. I just told him, ‘Yeah, but pregnancies for someone like me aren’t always guaranteed.’ And I asked for his discretion."

"I get it. Not to deal with any awkward situations later."

"Exactly."

"Did he ask who the father is?"

Soren scoffed. "Of course not! Would you ask that? It’s a pretty personal question."

I stared at my plate, brooding over what to answer. "So… our relationship. You still want to keep it a secret at work?"

There was silence. Soren, leaning over the table, ate his soup quietly, occasionally glancing out the window. He looked deep in thought and didn’t answer for a while.

Finally, as we finished eating, he cleared his throat. "I don’t. But I’m struggling with how to navigate it. They all saw me with Liam during the first few months I worked here. I don’t know how to explain it to them, especially when it comes to paternity. They can do the math. The dates match up with when I was still with Liam."

"But… he’s a beta."

"I don’t follow."

"How could he be the father?"

Soren looked a bit annoyed. "If I’m fertile, they might think we just matched up that way. About 2% of betas have fertile sperm. But that’s not really the issue here, Skye."

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