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But there it is - black and white. Four Alphas, all genetically compatible with one Omega. Me.

In the shifter world, compatibility like this is rare. Finding one perfect Alpha match is uncommon enough. Two is practically unheard of. But four? It's like winning the lottery while being struck by lightning during a solar eclipse.

My phone buzzes, vibrating across the metal lab table. I glance at the screen and see Emily's face lighting up the display.

"Hey, Em," I answer, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Don't 'hey Em' me!" she exclaims. "It's been days! I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere! Or worse, bored in some corporate lab without me!"

I laugh despite myself. "Sorry, things have been... complicated."

"Complicated how? The last time I saw you was after the rock concert with Detective Hottie, then you disappeared into thin air. I've been texting you for days!"

I glance at my phone and see seventeen unread messages from her. Oops.

"I'm really sorry," I say. "I've been dealing with some... changes."

"Life changes? What, did you join a cult? Get abducted by aliens? Start a new career as a professional snake charmer?"

"Not exactly," I hesitate, then decide to hell with it. Emily's my best friend, and I need to talk to someone who isn't an Alpha with a vested interest in my pants.

I take a deep breath. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out."

"That's impossible. You know I'm genetically predisposed to freaking out."

"Em, I'm serious."

Something in my voice must tip her off because her tone shifts immediately. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Remember when I told you something weird was happening to my body?"

"The uncontrollable horniness? Hard to forget."

"Well, it turns out I'm an Omega."

Silence stretches between us for three beats.

"A what now?" Emily finally asks.

"An Omega. As in Alpha-Beta-Omega dynamics. As in, I'm a shifter, or at least part shifter, and I've been dormant my whole life until recently."

"Holy fucking shit," she breathes. "Are you serious? You're a shifter? Like, grow-fur-and-howl-at-the-moon shifter?"

"I don't think I can fully shift," I explain. "But I'm apparently a rare type that's super compatible with Alphas."

"Alphas... like multiple men?"

I swallow hard. "Yes."

"Wait." I can practically hear the wheels turning in her head. "How many hot men are we talking about exactly?"

"Four," I admit as my face heats up.

Emily's shriek is so loud that I must hold the phone away from my ear.

"FOUR? FOUR MEN? FOUR FUCKING ALPHAS?"

"Could you say that louder? I don't think they heard you in Antarctica."