Page 49 of The Omega's Unexpected Bounty
My lips pursed into a frown as I thought. We were both men, but we didn’t have the same expectations or commonality. He would never know about sore nipples or cramps during my heats. “Like twitches in my stomach or butterflies in my stomach. Maybe bubbles?” They had no butterflies here. The closest thing was a lizard-bird with membrane wings and several flying fish. Still, the implant gave him the visual. He mouthed a ‘wow’ and I hoped he understood. I nuzzled my head against his warm, hard chest.
“What about the rest?”
The pregnancy?“That’s an open-ended question,” I said. “I’ve heard being pregnant was supposed to be a beautiful experience.”
“It’s not?”
“Well yes, but it’s sobiological.” His furrowed return look said, ‘Of course it is.’ Heat flashed over my face. “I’m bloated, I have gas…” I tried my best to keep the surliness out of my voice. “I’m huge.”
His eyebrows rose as he smiled. “There’s more to love.”
I glared back, although I’m sure it wasn’t too severe. “Fat and I can’t eat.” I pointed to the plate with fish on the far side of our bedroom. It was covered with a transparent container, and I put a towel around it so I wouldn’t see. I could send it away, but I assumed Graden might want some of it. Back on New Texas, I didn’t need much seafood. The closest was catfish and trout – imported from Earth. I thought it was ‘fine,’ but this pregnancy did something to my taste buds. The instant wrenching after eating proved I couldn’t eat seafood. Unfortunately, that was simply food on an aquatic planet. To his credit, he brought me red Juko fruit and dried seaweed crackers from the Ryba markets. That was one of the few things I could still eat.
My scent must have wafted out. “What is wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He let out a wondering murmur. “I can smell your frustration.”
I smelled the rotting vegetables as well and smiled in resignation. “You know what I feared about being an Omega?” I answered without waiting for his reply. “Losing freedom.”
His voice was slow. I like to think he thought before saying something. Maybe he picked what he thought sounded nice. “Is that what I am?” he asked with a choked voice. “Your jailer?”
My lips thinned and I did my best to keep the frustration from my tone, but I couldn’t rein in my scent glands. “Balo attacked me.” His hands balled into a tight fist. “You don’t believe me do you?”
“You are my mate. If you say something, I will believe it.”
“My skin is blue.”
His hand went over his eyes as it closed. He smacked his hands together several times in frustration before he looked at me. “Why do you test me? You know my meaning.”
“Because I’m pissed.”
“I attacked Balo – mybrother, based on nothing else but your word. I stormed into the Royal Grievance chamber with Ryba representatives and…”
“Embarrassed yourself?” I offered.
“Yes. I should have attacked him alone.”
“Embarrassed because of me?” I asked quietly.
“You know that is not the issue, but if you require an answer – even though you shouldn’t – it’s no. I am Soturi. Every fiber in me demands I protect you, despite your protests. However, I cannot give the Boot to this entire kingdom. If I continue to attack Balo, then what? I’m seen as a danger. By stepping back, I can have my security chief investigate. Let Balo grow overconfident before he makes a mistake. Then we present any discovered information to my father.”
It sounded logical, but I still let out a dismissive murmur even if I mentally chastised myself.
It didn’t escape his notice. “This is not your ‘Wild West.’ I cannot shoot weapons and then get my reward. I must live with the repercussions of my actions.”
“You think I didn’t?” I pointed to my large stomach as proof.
His face blanched. “Is that what you call our child? A repercussion?”
I didn’t mean it like that, but I said the words and couldn’t take them back. “No.” Thankfully, he didn’t press me for more.
I had my part in this argument, but this reminded me of something else I hated about the hormones. From one instant, I could be angry and then cry because I felt my baby wiggle within. “Another topic?”
“Rodion saw your father.”
It wasn’t long ago, I would say he wasn’t anything to me and call him by his name – Nate. It seemed less important now. He answered my unasked question.
