Page 37 of The Omega's Surprise Baby
“Ah... Do you think...?”
“I don't know.” I really didn't. My kid had been so withdrawn over the past few years that it was difficult to pin him down. But the way he was with Jake made me wonder if his friend picked up on something I missed. “I guess it doesn't really matter, does it?”
“No, I guess not,” Dean agreed. “If he's ten next month, you'll know soon enough anyway.”
“True.”
“They grow up so fast, don't they? Bastian's running already.”
“They really do,” I said, lost in thought. Before Conner started middle school, his blood would be tested for the presence of specific hormones. That test would determine whether he was alpha, beta or omega. Many parents got it done around their child's tenth birthday, since that was the earliest age it could be done reliably. Some families even had theme parties for this purpose.
For some reason, I didn't think Conner was going to want a party.
I was going to celebrate him anyway.
* * *
“Still not goingto tell me what happened?” I asked Conner as I tucked him in bed that night.
He licked his lips, but didn't say anything. I was about to try again when he finally opened his mouth. “Jake thinks I should tell you.”
“Oh?”Listen to your friend, Conner.
Conner sighed the way only a nine-year-old can sigh and climbed out of the bed I'd so carefully tucked him in. I didn't stop him, though, just watched as he walked to his desk. His backpack lay discarded next to it and now he reached for it and pulled a small stack of papers out. Brochures, though from this distant, I couldn't see what kind.
“We got these in school today,” he said as he handed them to me. I leafed through the brochures. They were for different middle schools in the area. One was located in Oceanport. All the others were farther away. My forehead creased. I'd never thought about sending Conner to any school other than the one right here.
“Your teacher gave these to all of you?” I asked, to make sure.
“Yes, she said because we're all going to be ten soon, we need to think about... our options.”
Huh... I let my eyes fly over the brochures once more, unsure what exactly I was looking for. Were some schools better for alphas or omegas?
“She said some of these schools don't separate alphas and omegas at all,” Conner explained, reading the confusion on my face.
“Oh.” I had to admit, I hadn't thought about the topic as much as I should have. Hell, part of me still couldn't believe that Conner was going to betensoon. That was just crazy. I knew the middle school in Oceanport was still sort of traditional. Their omega programs tended to focus more on household chores like cooking and knitting than academics. Perhaps if Conner was an omega, I really should send him somewhere else. He was far too smart to be reduced to a house-omega. “Have you looked at these brochures?” I asked him.
“Not yet... no time,” he mumbled, rubbing his eye.
“You still haven't told me how these brochures are related to your bruise,” I reminded him.
He chewed his bottom lip. “After class, Gregory came up to me and tried to take them from me.”
“Why?” Whoever this Gregory was, I wanted to punch him.
“He said I was a stupid omega and I didn't need to go to a different school because omegas only make babies.” Conner scowled. “When he didn't back off, I kicked him. And then he punched me, and then I ran.”
I sighed. “Gregory sounds like a jerk.”
Conner's scowl deepened. “He is. He thinks he's so great because he's already been tested and he's an alpha. He's the worst.”
I had to agree with him there. I couldn'tstandalphas who thought they were better than omegas. “We'll find a good school for you if you're omega,” I told Conner.
“Do you think I am?” he asked, his eyes inquisitive as they stared into mine.
“I don't know,” I admitted, taking a seat on the edge of his bed and sitting my boy beside me. “But you know what? It doesn't matter to me. Not really. You're Conner. That's enough for me.” I ruffled his hair. It was the same color as mine. When Ron was pregnant with him, I'd kind of hoped Conner would inherit his darker features, but no, he was a miniature me. My hair, my eyes, my complexion—and all of Ron's expressions.
Now he looked at me with Ron's frown. “I don't want to be omega.”
