Page 47 of Slick Trip

“You’ll see.” He hesitated. “In order to do it, I need to leave the room.”

“No!” Before I even realized what I was doing, I’d scrambled out of bed, crossed the gap between us, and clung to his undershirt.

“Don’t leave me alone,” I whispered. I pressed my face against the center of his chest, rubbing my face all over him. “Please, Jon.”

I stilled when I realized. This was the test. Jon’s eyes met mine—dark, serious, and not surprised at all. He cupped my face, wiping away the solitary tear working its way down my cheek.

“You bastard,” I whispered.

He didn’t flinch.

“Cooper,” he said quietly. “You’re an Omega.”

15

Alpha

JON

Cooper was shaking his head. “No,” he kept repeating. “I don’t want that!”

I moved my hand in slow circles on his back. My whole body ached from the need to soothe him. Shoulders slumping, Cooper slipped out of my grip and sat back on the bed. I tried not to dwell on the feeling I was failing him somehow.

“Is there a cure?” he asked, clutching the cursed monkey to his chest. I wanted to strangle the stupidly grinning toy.

Jealous over a stuffed animal, Beckett? Wow.

“It’s not a disease, Coop.” I turned my phone toward him. “There’s lots of research. And look, there’s an online store for Omega products.”

His eyes brightened at the mention of the store, but then he pouted. “I’d rather be an Alpha. How can I switch?”

The absurdity of it made me smile. “There’s no switch. You know how it works.”

I studied him closely, wondering how many surprises he could handle.

“What?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “What aren’t you saying?”

I took a deep breath, then said in a single exhale, “I’m an Alpha.”

His head snapped up. His eyes went comically round. “What? You’ve presented? When?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling weirdly flustered.

“I found something interesting,” I said, ignoring his question. How badly was he going to flip when I told him? Cooper was a dramatic person even when he wasn’t going through his first Omega heat.

“Apparently, close proximity to an Omega can trigger a counterpart Alpha presentation,” I explained. I paused, trying to figure out how to continue. “But only under specific conditions.”

“What do you mean? What conditions?”

“The Alpha needs a pre-existing emotional attachment. Something strong enough to activate the dormant gene.”

He blinked. “Pre-existing what? Speak normally!”

I ran my fingers through my hair. This was the weirdest fucking way to admit anything.

“Your Omega presentation triggered my Alpha presentation.” I gave him a meaningful look. “Because of the emotional attachment.”

Cooper was too agitated to get it.