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Her arms full, my mate looks up at me. Her eyes are sparkling with delight, and it is clear to me that she wants to see the babies, all of them.

There is no reason for me to hold her at my side, other than that I am uncomfortable and feeling isolated even amongst so many strangers.

"Go on," I say softly, encouraging her. "Have fun. "

Again she hesitates, and I shake my head. I don't want anyone thinking that I'm forcing her to be at my side. She is free to come and go as she pleases. She tilts her face up for a kiss, leaning in, and we kiss quickly over the baby before she goes and follows the other females.

I am left with the scarred male standing in front of me.

He continues to glower as if I have offended him, arms crossed.

I glance around, looking for a familiar face, but I do not see Thrand or even Vordis.

U'dron has his arms wrapped around a female and a child of his own, sharing a private moment. I am alone.

"Brothers?" the scarred male asks suddenly.

I'm not sure I heard him correctly. "What?"

"Do you have brothers?" he repeats.

I shake my head, puzzled. "I am a splice. I am created in a lab?—"

"Thrand and Vordis were created in a lab. They are brothers."

"They are a'ani. It is different." A'ani are often grouped together when sold to instill camaraderie and a sense of teamwork. I am a gladiator, created to be a fighter. There is no teamwork involved.

He grunts, then flicks a hand, indicating I should follow him. "Come. I would have you meet someone."

Who? There is no one I can imagine meeting here, no one that I am to seek out.

Now I am curious, though, and I follow behind the tall, surly mesakkah as he strides through the group.

We leave the cluster of people behind, heading out for the far end of the beach.

I glance back at Aidy, making sure that my mate is safe.

She is surrounded by women, holding one baby and talking happily to a much smaller human who has the same thick curls that Nadine does.

Aidy glances up, her gaze seeking me out.

I nod at her and indicate she should stay where she is. She is safe and happy, and that is all that matters. So I follow the male, wondering where exactly we are going.

It becomes apparent soon enough. Not all of the tribe joined us when we arrived, it seems. There is a male on the beach, holding a long stick of some kind and watching as a child races around on the flat sands. He turns as he sees us approaching, his tail flicking.

As we get closer, I stare.

And stare.

It is another splice…and he looks just like me.

When I pause to stand in front of him, I realize he could be my brother.

Our manes are the same shade of dark gray, tufted around the face and neck.

He has the same build I do, the same lack of mesakkah horns but the mesakkah ears.

When he narrows his eyes in suspicion, it is like I am looking at a reflection.

"Gren," the scarred mesakkah says, gesturing at me. "This is Corvak. He is the splice that was missing from the pods. He and his mate have come to join us."

Gren nods slowly, eyeing me.

"Brothers," the male mutters again, and then turns and leaves. I am left with my look-alike near the waves.

And I do not know what to say.

I rub my mouth as we stare at one another. "Not brothers," I say, just in case he misunderstands. "I am a splice?—"

But Gren nods, grasping what I am trying to explain. "Same lab, though. We look very similar. Could be from the same pool of genetic material."

The realization that he is here is shocking. "Valmir did not say anything to me about you. That another splice looks just like me."

He rolls his eyes. "That male does not notice anything save that which concerns him." His tail twitches. "I do not care for him."

Nor I. It is another thing we have in common.

Gren squats down as the child races over to him, holding out a mollusk shell. "Look, Papa!" the small boy cries, and this child is even bigger than the one Aidy held, which makes me break out into a cold sweat. He would come up to her waist. Surely…surely not.

"That one is too small," Gren tells him with clear affection. "A good catch, but it will go back so it can grow bigger, yes?"

The boy nods and races back to the edge of the waves, setting the shell on the shore and then stepping back as he watches it get swept away again.

He skips back down the beach, to where he was digging, and attacks the sand again with his stick.

The young one looks like Gren. His mane is not as thick and it curls about his head, but the color is the same.

His tiny brows are heavy and furred, but the rest of his face is smooth and pale.

As he kneels over the sands, his tail swishes back and forth.

This is Gren's child, I realize. He has one with a human female.

This is what my child will look like when Aidy gives birth. I point a trembling finger at the boy, looking to Gren for confirmation. "He…you…?"

Gren nods. "Our son."

"Was he that big when he came out? Where is your mate?" Did she die, producing such a giant creature?

Gren shakes his head. "Babies are much smaller when they are born. They grow over time. Shade is almost four years. Yours will be tiny and fragile when your mate has it."

Relief hits me, so strong it makes me dizzy. I exhale loudly and bend over at the waist, head spinning. "Thank kef."

"Never seen a child?" Gren asks.

"Not until we arrived, no." I straighten, glancing over at him. "Are you a clone of a gladiator?"

"No. I am the original, as far as I know." His mouth curls wryly. "In a sense."

"Did you…have many battles?"

"Enough." The splice shrugs, his gaze on his son as the boy starts digging another hole. "That sort of thing does not matter now."

"It is all I know," I confess, voice bleak. "I have no battles, but my knowledge is rules and regulations, strategies and nothing more. If there are no games here, no competitions, what do I do with myself? What is a gladiator without a challenge?"

Gren eyes me, and then his expression softens as his son comes running up again to show him another shell.

"What is a gladiator without a challenge?

A father. A good mate. A provider and protector.

A friend to others." He shrugs. "You are mourning a life you never had. Embrace the one in front of you."

"Good size?" the little boy asks as he holds up a shell, his small body quivering with excitement.

"A fantastic size," Gren tells him, ruffling his hair. "Good job, my son."

The boy breaks out into a grin, showing a gap-toothed smile, and something inside me softens. Embrace the future. Embrace this life.

The child turns to look at me, squinting up. "Who are you?"

"I am Corvak," I say, kneeling down to his height. "And I am new here. What are you digging?"

"Shells," he says. "But only shells with critters in them. Mama wants them for dinner."

"I have never hunted shells," I say, admiring his digging stick. "And I will need dinner for my mate. Will you show me how you hunt them?"

"It's easy," the tiny boy says, holding out his stick to me. "Come on."