Page 41 of Threads of Fate

She smiles, as susceptible as almost everyone is. “It’s Nix’s ultrasound. I’ve also done a CT scan, too. Plus the blood work…” She’s excited and trying to rein it in. She recognizes that Nix isn’t just a test subject but someone’s someone. He’stheirsomeone. “This is Nix’s uterus, his Fallopian tubes, ovaries, birth canal.” She runs a finger over the screen, moving so they can see each organ.

“His WHAT?!” Rowan says loudly. “You’re saying Nix is female?”

“Not at all. Nix is omega.”

The room is dead silent.

“This isn’t funny, Doctor.” Gone is the charmer that draws people in with “aw, shucks” dimples, and standing in his place is the enigma alpha who once made Gideon’s father piss himself.

“It’s not a joke, Mr. Rhodes.” She bows her head but straightens her spine before continuing. “I have run the tests and scans more than once. If you can’t believe the science, you must believe your nose. His scent profile is consistent with historical reports of omegas.”

Rowan scoffs. “Yeah, mythical accounts, not historical. Omegas are a myth. Right?”

The doctor opens her bag and pulls out two older books with several tabs sticking out the sides. “These are historical reports of omegas. I’ll leave them with you, but I would appreciate you sending them back to me when you’re done. I obtained them from a colleague whose thesis for her doctorate is on the existence of omega Weres.”

Jay turns his glowing alpha gaze on her with a growl.

“I didn’t tell her why, of course. Nix is entitled to his privacy and safety. I would never—” Unwisely, the doctor meets the alpha’s gaze with a challenging tilt of her chin. She wants him to know she is being entirely honest, but the alpha has seen more than enough challenges in the last few days, and Gideon wonders where her self-preservation instincts are.

Gideon puts his hand on Jay’s arm. “Dial it down, big man. Nix is okay.”

“Is he, though?” Rowan asks. “Even if he is an omega, is he the only one? I thought transitioned humans were always betas. What even is an omega? Holy shit, he has a uterus. Can he have babies?” The young man looks back at Nix, still sleeping, like he can see his reproductive organs from there.

“I assure you, I am as sure as I can be. The scans don’t lie.” The doctor drops tiredly into Yasmine’s chair. Gideon acknowledges that she must have been awake long hours in search of the answers they need to help Nix. So he quickly locates a bottle of water from the stash on the side table, which he hands her.

“Thank you so much. I am going to sleep for the next twenty-four hours after this.”

“Let’s just say that I believe you. What does that mean for him?” Jay finally asks.

“I’m not an expert, of course, but I have an interest in secondary genders generally, and human transition disorders are my specialty. I can honestly tell you that the scientific literature is non-existent. But outside of that, I think those books will help. There may not be official studies being conducted, but I find it difficult to assume Nix would be the only omega worldwide despite how rare it is. You would only need to know where to look.” She sighs, a bit taken with her sleeping patient. “Physically, he’s perfect.”

Gideon cannot disagree.

She shakes herself out of her momentary stupor. “If I may? I think your priorities should be protecting this secret from the public and then helping him work through the changes that becoming a newly transitioned Were will entail.”

Gideon stands straighter; the security and safety of his family have always fallen to him. Oh‌, its outward trappings have always fallen to Jay. But the practical applications? That’s all Gideon. Clenching his fists and cracking his neck, he finally asks, “A secret? Are you saying he’s in danger?”

The doctor is less willing to meethiseyes, and Gideon realizes she has good instincts after all.

“I’m saying that omegas are real, and if there are more, the world doesn’t know about them. Omegas have long been linked to The Goddess, and every religious zealot and scientist will be out for a piece of yours. If you agree, I can put you in touch with my colleague before I go. I sensed she was reluctant to share a lot of her research, and perhaps it was just her academic proprietary nature, but she also asked a lot of questions I didn’t answer. Maybe she is more aware than I originally thought. You and Nix can decide if it’s something you want or even need to pursue.”

Gideon pushes a bit of menace into his voice and fixes his eyes in a dead-eye stare, as it tends to make his point mucheasier than sharp teeth or claws. “You are sure you didn’t tell her or anyone else?”

The doctor whimpers.

“Sugar, that’s not nice!” Luca bursts through the door, phone in hand, followed by a disheveled Finn and a limping Leo.

Only Gray is missing, and Gideon’s heart twinges. Luca attaches himself to Gideon, and Gideon sighs in relief when he feels that at least his mate has pants on. He smells so good, and he figures he hasn’t showered, especially when the doctor almost raises her hand to cover her nose. He gives her a small smile as an apology for his menacing earlier, and she graciously nods with forgiveness.

“Rowan Foster, have you had your phone on this whole time?” Jay looks shocked at the audacity of their youngest alpha. He also sounds like a disapproving Dad.

“They have a right to hear it from the doctor for themselves, and look: now we’re all here except Gray. Man, rebound ruts suck. What an awful coincidence.”

The doctor perks up, “A rebound rut? Your mate? How intriguing. Was it after he’d met Nix? After the transition?” She asks eagerly before flushing red. “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s none of my business,” She says in apology, but now Gideon is curious.

“Why the added interest?”

Dr. Spencer is on a roll now. “You said he is an enigma? Oh, and yesterday, Mr. Foster, you also had a loss in…um…self-control. Is that right?”

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