Page 124 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus (The Exchange)

Ben stops three feet away and rocks on his heels. “All right, say what you need to say.”

Melody steps forward, shoving the file at Ben. This entire exchange is painful as fuck to watch. It takes a few long seconds of him staring and flipping through pages before the light bulb goes off.

“You’re fucking pregnant?” he hisses. His jaw is tight with tension, and I take a step closer to Mel.

“I am.” Her shoulders pull back and her chin tilts.

“Congratulations.” His eyes bug when he gets a look at the ultrasound. “Yeah, I mean, I’m happy for you. I told you we were done if you went to that place, and you did it anyway. Why exactly did you need to talk to me in person to tell me this?”

“The baby is yours,” Mel says slowly. She takes a step back until her ass hits the metal of the door.

Ben makes a strangled sound that I think might be disbelief.

My hands fist and unfurl.

I try real goddamn hard to put myself in his position. How would I feel if an ex came back a few months later to inform me she was pregnant? Yeah, I’ve got no clue because I’ve never had a girlfriend until Mel.

They were together for almost a decade. That constitutes a different type of response than a bar hook up.

“Are you sure? How do you know it doesn’t belong to one of them? You’re bonded now, aren’t you?” He nods to her neck.

“I am bonded,” Melody says, giving me a soft smile.

“But I was pregnant before I got to The Exchange. I didn’t know that at the time, but you can look at the estimated conception date.

Dr. Jamison was kind enough to document all the information on one of those sheets.

I did the tests at the North Carolina location when we were there.

They gave me a pregnancy test then, and it was negative, but they said it was because it was too soon to pick up the HCG hormone.

I got pregnant during the Christmas trip. ”

“You were on birth control,” he says dubiously.

Mel’s shoulders slump as her eyes close. She opens her mouth, but I cut her off.

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s absolutely not your kid.

It’s mine. We came all the way out here so Mel could lie to your face and try to trap you into giving a shit about a kid that isn’t yours.

Do you think that makes any fucking sense?

” I take a step toward him. “Don’t worry.

You can bow out knowing Mel and the baby will be taken care of.

The only reason we’re even here is because she wanted to do the right thing.

” I jab a finger at Mel so he understands none of us give a shit if the baby isn’t biologically ours.

I’m as attached to the baby as I am to Mel at this point.

I’d rather he wasn’t involved at all. If he is then he has the opportunity to continually hurt and disappoint Mel and eventually the baby.

“You’re fucking him now too?” Ben asks. “Really, Mel?”

His tone sends my hackles right up. I clench my fists, barely holding myself back. He’s a disrespectful shithead.

“Omegas aren’t meant for monogamy, you close-minded prick.” I take a step forward, but Melody grabs my arm.

“You’re not an alpha though, are you, man?” Ben taunts.

“Okay, that was unnecessary,” she says, glaring at her ex.

“Listen, the point of this isn’t to fight.

I’m making you aware of the situation, that’s all.

I won’t keep you from the kid’s life if you want to be a part of it.

If you don’t want to be active in the baby’s life then that’s fine too, but my conscience wouldn’t allow me to keep that information from you.

” Mel wraps my arm around her lower back.

“But what I’m not going to do is let you talk to either of us like crap. ”

I grin, bringing my free hand to rest on the baby pooch. It’s not really a belly yet, but I love it.

“I don’t think you should have it.” Ben crosses his arms over his chest. “If we aren’t going to be together then that’s not fair to me.”

“My mom mentioned on the phone that she heard you’ve got a new girlfriend. You don’t want to be with me, and that goes both ways,” Mel says.

Our little omega hasn’t been openly sharing information because she never mentioned that either.

“I do have a girlfriend,” Ben says, giving Mel a cutting smile. “You know I spent two days in jail after that night I called and you had your boyfriend answer.”

“What?” Mel whispers.

“Yeah, she works at my bail bondsman’s office.” He smirks like he’s itching to drive that knife in.

“I told you to go home and sleep it off,” I say, chuckling to hide the fact I’m about to rip his fucking head off. There’s something about his entire vibe that is setting off every protective instinct I’ve got.

“You can stay the fuck out of this,” he snarls. “Why the hell would you want to have my baby?”

“Because it’s a human being, you rancid piece of shit,” Nik growls, coming around the back of the SUV. His entire body vibrates with tension.

“I’m having the baby,” Mel says with a quaver in her voice. “I’m too far along to even consider anything else. I’m almost seventeen weeks, and you know how I feel about that anyway.”

“Christ,” Ben says, taking a step back. “And you’re just now telling me?”

“I didn’t find out until later than normal because the baby wasn’t conceived during a heat.

I thought about telling you over the phone, but I wanted to be here in case you wanted to come to an ultrasound with us.

I’m far enough along that one of the 3D ultrasound places should be able to determine gender,” Mel says, rambling it all out super fast.

“You’re an omega. You know how they are. No one is going to want to bond with me when I have a kid with some random chick,” Ben says, like he isn’t ripping her heart out.

Mel sways into my side. “It’s always about you. How did I miss that for so long?” she whispers, taking a step back.

“Random chick?” Nik growls. “I think you need to take a walk around the block and come back when you’ve cooled off.”

“Random chick,” Mel repeats. “Yeah, so fucking random. You know what’s really random, Ben?

That I let you dick me around for ten years.

You dangled a bond and having a family just out of arm’s reach.

The really ridiculous part is that I let you.

I put up with it like that was all I deserved because I loved you.

Or maybe all these years I was punishing myself for what I did to Luke.

But guess what? Your brother is happy. And I finally am too. ”

I squeeze her hip, pulling her closer into me, but my eyes fly to Nik. He’s got this low rattling growl coming from his chest.

“Oh yeah?” Ben snorts a derisive laugh. “You won’t have heats for a year and then you’ll pop out some other guy’s kid. You really think they’re going to stay faithful when you’re out of commission?”

I don’t see the punch coming until Ben hits the ground. He slides back a few feet and my eyes widen.

Nik shakes out his hand. “I told you to take a walk.”

Melody gasps, her hands flying to her mouth.

I chuckle.

“You fucking dick,” Ben snarls, pushing himself off the ground. He makes it to his feet and moves to swing at Nik, but Nik tackles him. Nik is used to being on the other side of that equation, but it is a solid takedown.

I snort. Cow-bro definitely deserves a little pain and suffering.

“Ohmigod, please stop,” Mel begs as the two alphas roll around, punching each other in the kidneys.

“That was assault,” Melody’s mom calls out from the porch. “I’m calling the police.”

And that’s how Nik ends up in cuffs in the back of a podunk police car, while Mel has a panic attack, Miller keeps packing, and Oliver quietly tries to negotiate buying off Mel’s ex.