Page 261 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus

Melody still has her face buried in my armpit, but she rolls her head to look up at me. I give her a nod. I’m afraid I’ll show my ass if they ask me to leave right now. It’s hypocritical as hell considering I just sent the others away, but my impulses can’t handle having Melody out of my sight right now. Not when she’s so sick and weak.

“He can stay,” Melody says, swallowing thickly.

I blow out a breath. Thank God.

“You might have picked up a virus,” Farrah says calmly. “But that’s not the only thing going on. You’re pregnant.”

A warmth fills my chest like I’ve never felt before. My free hand slides down to cup Mel’s lower stomach. It takes about three seconds of the tight look on Farrah’s face to realize I’m not going to like whatever comes next.

“In order for the urine test to pick up the pregnancy, you’d need to be aminimumof three to four weeks along. There’s another test we use to determine gestation in omegas. Without a regular menstruation cycle, it can be problematic to determine conception without an ultrasound, this is especially compounded because omegas rarely conceive outside of a heat.” Farrah grimaces. “But when you do, there are three months of unaccounted time versus only one month for a beta. This is in general, of course. There are always exceptions to the rule.”

My mind races.

If she’s at least a month along...Fuck.

Melody clutches me so tightly that I pull her from the seat next to mine directly into my lap. Luckily, Farrah wheels her chair to the side, ensuring she can see Melody’s face.

“Ohmigod,” Mel whispers, her eyes wide. “You can go. I won’t blame y?—”

“This changes nothing,” I say the words and even though I don’t know if they’re true...

I’m going to make sure they’re reality. Over the last few days, she’s opened up more about her mom and that piece of shit ex of hers.

There’s no way I can leave her to that.

We may not have bonded yet, but this is my omega. I’m going to treat her like I claimed her during her heat and she’s stuck with me for life.

She hasn’t fully accepted that she’s ours yet.

This might be a roadblock to her believing that I’m all in, but I am.

I know Oliver is too.

Nik is the only one I’m unsure about, but if he doesn’t like it... Well then, he can make his own choices.

There’s a fucking baby in the mix now. He or she is going to need love and support and protection just like Mel. Not to mention, this is basically everything I’ve yearned for. I’m not going to show my ass because it’s a slightly imperfect version of everything I’ve prayed for.

One of my dads always says be careful what you wish for because God doesn’t always grant prayers on your terms.

That very well could have been my packmate’s baby instead of mine.

Would I have walked away if that was the case?

Fuck no.

“Christ, I hope we didn’t hurt the baby during rut.” My entire body goes stiff at the thought.

Farrah chuckles. “You didn’t. It’s not unusual for omegas who conceive outside of a heat to experience a mild version. Your system is different from a female beta patient. You met a compatible pack and that ramped up the same hormones that come during a heat. Now you’re not experiencing cramps, and essentially this is your body’s way of indicating that you’re pregnant, much like when a beta skips menstruation.”

“Is there any way to figure out how far along I am?” Melody asks. The quaver in her voice only makes me hold her tighter.

“Would you feel more comfortable if you and I talked alone?” Farrah asks, her eyes flicking up to mine.

“I don’t know,” Melody says.

“I think I can handle whatever needs to be discussed,” I tell her, tilting her chin up. “We’ve all got history.”

I’m still a little worried Nik is going to fly off the handle, but I will knock his ass out if need be.