23. Aurum

Twenty-Three

The morning after Mylo's omegas'night, I noticed him staring longingly out into the garden. I prepared him breakfast in the kitchen while he sat at the bar, looking over his shoulder at the full-glass door that led outside.

"Somethin' on your mind?" I asked as I opened the fridge.

"Huh?" He turned back to me. "Oh, no, it's nothing."

I raised a brow. "That sounds a lot like you do have something on your mind, and you're just not telling me. Spill."

Saffron yawned as he strolled into the kitchen. He took the bottle of orange juice from my hand and poured himself a glass. "What's goin' on?" he asked sleepily.

I noticed Mylo didn't blink as Saffron inserted himself into our conversation. It made me deeply happy that my mate accepted my twin as just another part of our lives together.

"I'm just thinking," Mylo said, dodging my question again.

"About?" Saffron and I asked simultaneously.

Mylo huffed in amusement. "Hey, it's not fair if you both do it." He paused for a moment. "What do you two know about Holy Drake?"

My twin and I blinked at each other before turning to Mylo.

"Not much," I admitted while Saffron shrugged. "Why?"

Mylo ducked his head, looking embarrassed. "Never mind, then."

"C'mon, it's all right." Then I added, "Pancakes?"

"Huh?"

"You want pancakes for breakfast?" I asked.

Mylo made a thoughtful face. At first I was worried he'd refuse because he was self-conscious about his weight, but to my glee, he nodded and smiled.

"I haven't had pancakes in forever," Mylo said. "My mom stopped making them years ago because of... well." He glanced down at his tummy. Lately it looked more rounded than usual. Combined with Mylo's increased libido, he was definitely pregnant.

I snorted derisively. "Well, that's stupid. If you're pregnant with my egg, you'll need the extra calories, trust me. It takes a lot of energy to grow a dragon egg." I grabbed the milk carton from the fridge and waved it around as I made my point. "And even if you weren't pregnant, pancakes every once in a while never hurt anybody."

Mylo's smile widened, his brown eyes warm with affection.

Saffron grinned like a nosy imp. "Pregnant, huh? I shouldn't be surprised since I already caught you guys getting busy."

"Shut up and grab the flour."

Mylo wriggled in his seat. "Can I do anything to help?"

"Not unless you're dying to," I called over my shoulder. "Let me be the alpha and take care of my mate, all right?"

"Okay," Mylo said, amused.

As Saffron and I worked together to prepare the batter, I kept seeing Mylo glance outside from the corner of my eye. There was definitely something on his mind that he wasn't ready to share. Maybe a nice filling breakfast would unseal his lips.

Still, I didn't sense anxiety or fear from my mate. That was the main reason I didn't pry. He seemed more thoughtful, introspective. Whatever he was thinking, I was certain he'd share when he was ready.

Jade strolled into the kitchen with a book in one hand. He paused when he saw us busy in the kitchen. "What a surprise. You two rarely wake up this early."

"Hey, I gotta feed my mate," I said.

Jade leveled a look at Saffron. "And what's your excuse?" he asked teasingly.

Saffron shrugged as he passed me the spatula. "Well, I dumped my wannabe boyfriend, so I'm not staying up until 3 AM talking to his ass anymore."

Jade didn't probe, but he sounded relieved at this turn of events. "Glad to hear it."

"And I rescued a couple plushies, so they've been sleeping with me at night," Saffron continued.

"A couple?" Mylo asked from the bar. "I thought Muzo took Blueberry 1.0 back."

Saffron grew suspiciously quiet. "I may or may not have told him that he went missing again," he mumbled.

"So, you lied," Jade said.

"I'm gonna give him back eventually!" Saffron insisted. "I had to make sure the thief didn't reappear at night."

Jade smirked. "Ah, I see. Now the hero has become the villain. He cares not about Muzo or Lazuli's desires to have their plushie safely returned home."

Groaning loudly, Saffron gave up and trudged out of the kitchen. "Fine! I'll go return him. Don't gotta guilt me about making a kid sad..."

I snorted. "You're real manipulative, you know that, Jade?"

Jade flashed a prim smile as he grabbed a cup of coffee. "I don't know what you mean."

I waved the spatula as the batter sizzled on the pan. "Mylo, tell him that omegas like honest alphas. Like me."

Mylo chuckled heartily. "You spent the first half of the Games pretending to be your twin brother, remember?"

Jade grinned. "Ah, so what you're saying is, I should follow Aurum's example and act manipulative to find my fated mate."

"Oh, shut up, you know that's not what I meant," I grumbled, thrusting the spatula at my older brother. "No pancakes for you, Jade."

"I'm wounded," Jade said.

Rolling my eyes, I flipped a buttery stack of hot pancakes onto a plate and drizzled syrup on top, then placed it in front of Mylo. "Here. If you want more, just ask."

Mylo's eyes gleamed. "Wow, Aurum, these look amazing! I had no idea you could cook."

Jade sipped his coffee with a dry smile. "I didn't, either. I believe he tried his best just for you."

I was about to growl at Jade, but Mylo's beaming expression stopped me. He looked at me with such adoring passion that it made my heart squeeze. I smiled in return.

After plating my own pancakes, I sat at the bar across from Mylo. Jade quietly read his book and sipped his coffee as we ate. I had to admit, it was a pleasant family moment, just sitting together.

"This is really nice," Mylo said suddenly, echoing my thoughts. "I don't know if this is too cheesy to say, but... thank you for welcoming me into your family."

Jade offered him a genuine smile. "Not at all. We're lucky to have you."

"What he said," I put in. "Speaking of family, though, didn't you say your parents forced you to sign up for the Games? Have you spoken to them since?"

Mylo tilted his head thoughtfully. "We've texted here and there, but that's it. They'll be glad to know I won after all."

"The post-production is almost finished, and the show is set to air next week," Jade explained. "You could let them find out that way."

Mylo looked entertained at the idea. "I think I'll do that. They won't mind if I don't call right away if they know I'm busy with my alpha dragon."He paused, his gaze falling to the marble countertop. "Although... there is something I've been thinking about."

I put down my fork, watching him closely. "Yeah?"

"Um..." Mylo bit his lip and was silent for a few beats. "Would you be really offended and upset if I wanted a ferret kit instead of a dragon?"

I blinked, more confused than anything. "No. Why would I?"

Mylo seemed like he'd gathered all his courage to speak. "I want to have a kit. I just don't know if I can. All the other omegas had dragonets, so..."

I exchanged a glance with Jade. He was more knowledgeable than me in most areas, so if anybody had helpful insight for my mate, it was him.

"Three data points isn't much to go on," Jade pointed out. "Plus, every dragonet has inherited species traits from the other shifter parent. That tells us there's a good amount of genetic recombination. Therefore, I believe it's wholly possible your egg will hatch into a ferret kit."

"Really?" Mylo asked, his eyes widening with hope.

My stomach unclenched. For once, I was extremely glad for Jade's presence. He might've been a total smart-ass, but right now, a smart-ass was exactly what Mylo needed.

"I spoke to the other omegas, and Poppy suggested praying for kits," Mylo murmured shyly. "So, I wondered if I could pray to Holy Drake about it?"

Jade stroked his chin. "I see. I have to admit, even we dragons don't know much about Holy Drake. We have a single old book about him, but it's mostly folklore. Still, there's no harm in trying."

Mylo nodded slowly.

"I wonder," Jade murmured, pushing up his glasses with a contemplative look. "This is simply conjecture, but your body might lean towards kitting if you spend more time in your ferret form. A human body is better suited to carrying a dragon-sized egg. A ferret's body simply wouldn't work."

Mylo sat up straighter. "You really think so?"

"I can't say for certain, but it's an option," Jade said with a kind smile.

Determination flashed in Mylo's eyes. "I'll do it."

I grinned, excited to see his cute ferret form. "Should I carry you around in my pocket? Or wear you around my neck like a scarf?"

Mylo giggled. "You can, if you want. Won't you get tired of that, though?"

"Nope. An alpha never tires of venerating his omega."

Jade's brows rose. "Wow. Venerating? It seems your vocabulary has expanded along with your rapid maturation. I'm impressed."

Before he could deflect it, I balled up a napkin and threw it at his head. Mylo gasped, then burst out laughing. A proud grin stretched over my face.

Jade let out a good-natured sigh as he retrieved the paper weapon. "I suppose I deserved that one."