“She’s a vicious flat snake, that one.” Sima huffed and continued to study the page as if he understood what it said.
Virion adjusted Ahran in his arms and stepped into the hall to take something off the cart. “I swear, nursing makes you ravenous beyond reason.”
“Not much to fill your belly here. Father’s food is retched.” Seidrik leaned his head back and closed his eyes, breathing through his nose to abate his nausea. With a sigh, he reached into his desk and pulled out a vial of medicine, a tincture of honey and tingle root that he took a quick sip of before setting it aside.
Virion, standing in the doorway with a saucer of tea and cookies in his unoccupied hand, eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not sick, are you? I wouldn’t wish for Ahran to catch anything.”
“General malaise. Nothing contagious.” Seidrik waved Virion off as he stood and strode across his office to the outside to pour himself some tea from the service.
“I thought you was a beta, Venerable Prince,” the boy said, stealing a cookie from Virion’s saucer as he sat down.
“Seidrik is a beta. That’s why Father likes him—liked him—better.” Virion settled and re-latched Ahran to his other side with mild protest.
“Then how come they has him wearing an alpha’s shirt?” the little omega spoke up. A boy, he’d insisted…
Virion craned his head as Seidrik turned his back away from his brother and stiffened. His brother narrowed his eyes and glanced him up and down.
“It’s a new tunic… I—” Seidrik stumbled over his words.
Seidrik skirted around the room, keeping his back from Virion’s view. The slits in his shirt were obvious and he’d not thought about it since beginning to wear them some days ago. It would be no secret soon, but Seidrik dreaded telling Virion.
“Brother?” Virion stood and handed the struggling babe to Sima before buttoning his shirt quickly. Seidrik stepped back, slid over to his seat, and placed his tea down before sitting.
“Hmm?” Seidrik avoided Virion’s piercing gaze, that same color as their mother’s.
“Whyareyou wearing an alpha’s shirt?” Virion approached and Seidrik turned his back away and sat flush in his chair to keep the shirt hidden. Instead of slipping behind him, Virion snagged the medicine vial on his desk and sniffed it. The cold calculation in his eyes ran like a thalm engine. “Brother dearest… Or should I saysiblingdearest.”
Seidrik closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Virion glanced toward his page and child. “One moment, sibling. I need to take Sima and Ahran somewhere.”
Seidrik opened and closed his mouth a few times before Virion took Ahran and escorted Sima out.
Moments passed as dread grew in his belly. Part of him wanted to run away, find someplace to hide, avoid Virion at all costs. By the time his panic rose, nausea was boiling in his stomach and he wanted nothing more than to bend forward face first into his wastebasket.
It turned out that his panic didn’t pan out when Virion returned a moment later, slamming his office door shut. “You’re pregnant? What the fuck?”
He should have known Virion would have come to that conclusion so quickly. Of all the things his brother had ever been, stupid was not one of them, despite what Seidrik had said. “I can expl—”
“You must havereallypissed off the goddess for her to have turned you into an omega. Oh my goddess this istragic.” The delight glittered in Virion’s eyes.
“I—” Seidrik recoiled as Virion kept talking.
“So, how did it happen? Did you try sneaking some of the salusis or something to try andfixyour little problem?” Virion said, gesturing down with a little twirl of his finger.
“No! I—” Seidrik raised a hand, but Virion would not be corralled.
“AndStamel, of all people. This isjuicy. Did he slip and fall into you knot first by accident? Because Icannotsee this having happened on purpose.”
“The goddess did no such thing! I’ve always been…” Seidrik flopped forward onto his desk and folded his arms. Looking at Virion was too much.
“Oh my goddess… And you threw me under the carriage wheels how many times over being omega… Does Father know? Oh, no wonder the goddess said you’d never sire a child.” Virion huffed sharply and flopped into a chair, staring Seidrik down. “Okay, I’m done gloating. Spill everything.”
Seidrik swallowed bile and lifted his head. “To answer everything. When I manifested, Mother hid it. Unfortunately, when you manifested, she couldn’t hide it. You were seen. I was as protective of you as I could be before then, but Father would have gone mad sooner if he’d found out.”
“Sooner? He’s always been a little off.” Virion snorted and picked a cookie up off his plate, biting into it with relish. “Goddesses, these taste so sweet after hearing that from you. And the thing with Stamel, how?”
“Anally.” Seidrik stared at Virion deadpan.
