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Kensley leaned against the dryer, so he could take some weight off his throbbing foot.

“I woke up and my bed was wet, but I didn’t, like, pee on myself.

I felt a little sick, but it’s not stomachache sick.

I don’t know how to describe it, and it’s still kind of happening. It’s like my butt’s sweating.”

Bishop’s face slowly shifted from concerned friend to almost blank. Like all the other guards in the house, and that annoyed Kensley. “You’re fourteen,” Bishop said.

“Yeah, so? Is this, like, some weird puberty thing no one told me about? I thought my voice just dropped and I got hairy balls.”

“Yeah, that’s probably happening, but…” Bishop made a funny face, like he was thinking about Kensley’s balls. “Kens, do you know what alphas and omegas are?”

“Isn’t that something from the High Holy Book scriptures?”

“Maybe, I’m not religious. I didn’t think you were.”

Kensley shrugged. “Mom liked to read them sometimes for comfort, but we never really went to services. I just remember some prayer or something about the alpha and the omega.”

“So, your mother never taught you about all the genders?”

He shook his head, more confused than ever. People were men or women, what was so complicated? “What are you talking about?”

“Fuck. It’s not my place to tell you this. King really should.”

“Well, now you fucking-well are telling me.” Kensley reached out and yanked on Bishop’s forearm. He couldn’t even enjoy the contact, because if Bishop had answers, he was a jerk for keeping them to himself. “What the fuck is wrong with me? And what’s it got to do with this alpha omega shit?”

Bishop briefly looked pain, and then he squared his shoulders. “Please tell me you’ve at least had the sex talk.”

“Duh. Mom gave me a brief talk not long before she died, and one of my tutors did two hours on STDs last fall. I’ve seen movies, Bishop.”

“Porn movies?” Bishop actually looked shocked.

“No, not porn. What does my problem have to do with sex, though? This is my butt, not my dick.”

“Well, some people like having anal sex, especially gay men, so sex can involve your butt and your dick.” Bishop actually blushed and fidgeted, which made hope flare briefly behind Kensley’s breastbone. Was Bishop into guys? Could he ever like Kensley?

“Do you?” That sounded stupid. “I mean, do you ever, um?—?”

“We are not having that conversation.” Bishop crossed his arms. “I am a decade older than you, and you’re my best friend’s little brother. That topic is wildly inappropriate.”

“Fine,” Kensley snapped. Maybe he could get some answers out of Bishop another day, when Kensley could think more clearly. “What’s this other thing you were talking about, though? Alpha and omega?”

Bishop stared at the floor for a long, irritating moment, and then looked up.

His dark eyes were almost sad. “When it comes to procreation, humans are more complicated than just male and female. There are alpha females who have the ability to impregnate other women. They can also impregnate omega males. And omega males can also be impregnated by men. The designations are actually pretty rare, and because of their rarity, most of them are encouraged to join a religious order for their safety.”

Kensley chewed on that for a moment but it didn’t make sense. Okay, so two guys had butt sex, fine. Maybe future fun even, but—“How does a dude get pregnant ?”

“Because omega males are born with a uterus inside them, and roughly every two months, for twenty-four hours, they’re fertile. If he has anal sex with a person who ejaculates inside, he can become pregnant.”

“Bullshit.” This was the stupidest conversation he’d ever had, and he kind of wanted to hit Bishop again for lying.

Kensley had been honest about a humiliating experience, and now Bishop was mocking him?

Stupid fucking crush. “Look, can you just help me set the laundry, and then I’ll figure this out? I don’t need your mean lies.”

“Kens, I’m not lying. I don’t want it to be true for you, but if you’re wet down there, it’s possible this is your first time presenting as an omega male.”

“Fuck off, Bishop!” Stunned by the unexpected betrayal, Kensley turned and started stalking across the basement. His wounded foot hated him for that, and he stumbled to his knees. “Fuck.”

“Let me help?—”

“Do not touch me.” Kensley used his blazing sense of betrayal at Bishop to get back on his feet and stumble forward. “Leave me the fuck alone!”

“I swear, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“You already have.” He fled for the stairs, heart slowly breaking and unsure why.

The leaking problem wasn’t fixing itself.

Kensley stayed in his bedroom, not coming out for breakfast or lunch, and he was getting close to breaking King’s rules about contacting law enforcement, and just calling emergency services.

The weird, gassy feeling hadn’t left, and he’d changed his shorts three times in the last four hours.

It was like his asshole had a slow leak, and he didn’t know how the fuck to plug it.

He’d curled up on the floor, on a towel, and was staring at the opposite wall. He couldn’t concentrate to read, to watch TV, to do anything.

He got a text from King at twelve-forty that he was home.

Kensley ignored it. He was mad at Bishop for making up this omega shit; he was scared of what his body was doing; he needed it all to be a big lie.

He couldn’t even bring himself to get on their limited internet and see if it could be true.

It wasn’t. Nope. Not true. Bishop was just being a bastard.

But he’s not. He’s always been kind to me.

Bastard.

Twenty-four hours. Maybe he could wait this out and it would just go away.

Someone knocked on his door. “Leave me alone!”

“It’s King.”

“I don’t care.” But he did care. King was his only living relative, his only blood family left.

He wanted to confide in his brother, to get his advice, but what if King had also heard about this stupid omega thing?

King could be distant sometimes, but he’d never be part of such a cruel lie.

Then again, he’d never expected Bishop to be so cruel, either.

“Have you eaten yet today, Kens?”

“I’m not hungry.” He’d drank some water from the bathroom faucet, but his stomach was a horrid mix of hunger grumbles and anxiety wobbles.

“Bishop told me what’s going on. Can we talk? Please, brother?”

A new wave of fury at Bishop had Kensley up and limping to his door.

He hadn’t locked it, but King was always respectful and waited for permission, instead of barging in.

Even during the worst of Kensley’s grief over his mother’s death, during the worst of his anger fits and screaming bouts, King showed kindness, respect, and love.

Bishop had betrayed him by lying.

Maybe his brother’s love and respect would help Kensley figure this out.