25. Aurum

Twenty-Five

Since the Dragonfate Games ended,it was the first morning I'd woken up that I didn't open my eyes to Mylo's face.

I frowned. The bed was empty. There was no ferret or human in sight. My blood turned cold.

"Mylo?" I called.

"Down here," a familiar voice called.

Heaving a sigh, I swung out of bed and pressed myself to the floor. Mylo's masked furry face greeted me from the entrance to his nest.

"Sorry to worry you," he said, pacing back and forth. "I just... had to be here."

There was a frenetic energy about him, like something huge was about to happen. That's when it hit me.

Was he about to give birth?

"Are you in labor?" I asked.

He fidgeted with his paws. "Um... I don't know. I think so?"

My brows shot up. Internally, I was both ecstatic and freaked out, but I had to stay calm for my mate.

"Okay. Let me get the others," I said.

"No," Mylo cut in, looking a bit guilty. "Sorry... My instincts don't want people crowding around the nest."

That made sense. Ferrets were predators, but they were small. From a ferret's perspective, it wasn't reassuring to have a room full of giants towering over his den. I wondered if that feeling was amplified because Mylo spent most of his pregnancy shifted. His human brain knew we were all safe, but his animal instincts wanted to give birth in peace and quiet.

"Okay," I promised. "It can just be us."

Mylo crouched low to the floor and wrapped his long tail around his body. "Um... Saffron can come. I want him to be here, too."

Hearing that warmed my heart. "All right, let me get him. I won't be long."

I found Saffron on the couch in the living area. He was curled up in bed lazily hugging Saffron Jr while watching a movie. He blinked at my urgency.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Mylo's in labor."

He instantly abandoned his movie, springing to his feet. "Does he need anything?"

"He wants you to be there," I said.

Saffron's gaze softened in surprise, like he hadn't expected that. "Then I'm there."

The two of us slipped back into the bedroom. It was quiet except for the sounds of Mylo snuffling and grunting under the dresser.

Saffron pointed to the blanket-strewn nest and raised a brow, wordlessly asking if that's where Mylo was. When I nodded, he followed my lead and pressed low to the floor.

"I'm back. And Saffron's here, too," I told my mate.

Hearing that, Mylo poked his head out of the den. His black eyes shined in relief. He nodded, then retreated back inside.

"Ferret labor, huh," Saffron mused. "I wonder what that's like."

I shrugged. "Probably like any mammal's labor. They go into a little hole, give birth, then come out of the hole."

Saffron snorted. "Dude, it's a magical moment and you make it sound so bland."

"I am not making it bland," I argued. "I'm just saying that's what they do."

"Matteo didn't go into a hole," Saffron remembered, tilting his head.

"Matteo is a bird."

"Oh, yeah." After a moment, he asked, "Mylo's been in ferret form this whole time, right? Does that mean he's not gonna lay an egg like the other omegas did?"

"I have no clue," I admitted. "This is new territory for everybody."

Saffron stared at the blanket-laden nest. I could tell he was nervous, but mostly obscenely excited. I still wondered why fate chose me to find my mate first and left my romance-hungry twin behind. I hoped he didn't have to wait long for his destined omega to show up in his life.

When a few minutes passed, I poked my head near the opening. "You okay in there, Mylo?"

He'd stopped fussing and sat in one spot. His sides rose and fell rapidly as he breathed hard. I tensed immediately. I hated seeing Mylo in any kind of discomfort.

As if sensing my worry, Saffron put a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. Labor's just like that."

That relieved me, but only a little. I felt like I couldn't fully relax until the baby arrived safely and I saw Mylo's smile again.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

Mylo shook his head. Was being in ferret form easing his discomfort? I'd heard that humans had the worst of it compared to other mammals during labor. I thought about the other omegas. Except for Matteo, who'd expected to lay an egg either way, they must've been uncomfortable with a huge dragon egg inside of them.

But Mylo never experienced the beach-ball sized swelling. Did that mean he wasn't laying an egg? Would he give birth the old-fashioned mammal way?

I withheld an impatient groan. The waiting sucked.

Suddenly, Mylo's eyes went wide. "It's coming," he murmured.

My heart did a backflip. This was it. Our baby would be here soon.

"You can do it, Mylo," I encouraged.

I wished there was something—anything—I could've done to help my mate. Sitting idly by was aggravating. But Mylo seemed to only want our presence, so I hoped that was enough to soothe him.

Mylo breathed hard. He stretched out his long, furry body and paced, then curled up again. His restlessness finally stopped when he buried his head in his flank and froze. His fur bristled as a visible shudder ran down his spine to the tip of his tail. Then, in less than a blink of the eye, a bright object tumbled out of Mylo.

My brain struggled to catch up with the rapid-fire events. I watched Mylo perk up, then gather the object in his paws, licking it fervently.

An egg. He laid a golden egg.

A tiny golden egg.

I stared at the glimmering egg in awe. It was about the size of a tennis ball—miniscule for a dragon egg, but hefty compared to Mylo's ferret body.

I felt a momentary flash of disappointment for my mate's sake. He'd wanted a ferret kit and even spent his entire gestation in ferret form to accomplish that, yet he'd still laid an egg. But in the end, that didn't matter. That egg was our baby, and we both loved it with every fibre of our being.

The sight of the egg awakened my alpha instincts. It all felt so real now. I was a father. I was Mylo's alpha, his mate. I was our child's protector and nurturer. I would do absolutely anything for both of them.

"Oh," Saffron murmured, his voice wavering as he stared at the egg. "It's beautiful."

Mylo lifted his head. His dazed expression passed, and he looked like himself again. "Thank you. I'm so happy."

He went back to licking the egg's shell. It was his instinct to clean his newborn kits, and the shape of his newborn didn't stop him from doing that. Seeing his parental devotion filled me with even more respect and love for my mate.

"Does this mean the egg's gonna hatch into the world's tiniest dragon?" Saffron suggested. "Because that would be adorable."

Mylo curled his fluffy body around the egg to keep it warm. Even as a ferret, pride and satisfaction lit up his face. "I don't know. But I am excited to see what hatches."

I smiled. "Me, too."

Saffron fidgeted like a taut spring. "Can I please go tell everybody now?"

"Go for it," Mylo said.

My twin launched out of the room so fast, I imagined cartoon dust clouds in his wake.