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She swallows hard, taking a small step back. "Onyx..."

"Don't." I hold up a hand. "We don't need to have that conversation right now. Tell me more about this cure."

Relief flickers across her face at the change of subject. She turns back to her computer, pulling up complex diagrams and charts.

"The protein in my blood targets the virus specifically," she explains. "It doesn't affect any other cells. It's like it was designed to fight this exact pathogen."

"That's... convenient," I say slowly.

She nods. "Too convenient, maybe. I've been thinking about that. What are the odds that I'd have exactly the right antibody for a virus that was engineered in a lab?"

"You think there's a connection?" I lean against the counter again, watching her face.

"I think nothing about this situation is random." She tucks a curl behind her ear. "My Omega awakening, the virus outbreak,finding all of you... It feels like pieces of a puzzle I can't quite see."

"How's that going? This whole... multiple Alpha situation."

Her cheeks flush pink. "It's complicated."

"I bet." I can't keep the edge from my voice. "Four Alphas for one Omega. That's quite a harem you've collected."

"It's not like that," she protests. "I didn't go looking for any of you. You all just... happened."

"All at once? That's one hell of a coincidence."

She sighs, rubbing her temples. "According to my research, it's unprecedented. Most Omegas have only one compatible Alpha, and possibly two in rare cases. Four is..."

"Greedy?" I suggest with a raised eyebrow.

That earns me a glare. "I was going to say, 'statistically improbable.'"

"So why us? Why all four?"

"I have a theory." She leans back in her chair, looking up at me. "My Omega biology was dormant for over thirty years. When it finally awakened, it was like a dam breaking. All that pent-up energy and biological imperative coming out at once."

"Making up for lost time," I mutter.

"Exactly." She nods. "Instead of finding one compatible Alpha for normal Omega development, I found all of you at once. Like my body couldn't decide which one was best, so it chose... all of the above."

"Lucky us," I say dryly.

Her eyes narrow. "You don't have to sound so thrilled about it."

"Oh, I'm thrilled to share you with three other men," I reply, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's every Alpha's dream."

"I didn't ask for this either, you know." She stands again, hands on her hips. "One minute I'm a normal human scientist, the next I'm some rare Omega with four possessive Alphas breathing down my neck. You think that's easy?"

"I think you're enjoying it more than you let on."

Her mouth opens, then closes, her cheeks flushing darker. "That's not fair."

"Isn't it?" I step closer, invading her space. "Your scent changes when you talk about them. Your pupils dilate. Your heart beats faster."

"My body reacts to all of you," she admits quietly. "I can't help that."

"And what about the rest of you? Your mind? Your heart?" I reach out, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "What do they want?"

She leans into my touch, just slightly. "I don't know yet."