Page 26 of Monster. Me.

My brother got lucky. His fated mate turned out to be a billionaire, which basically means he's set for life.

Fortunately, Blue is a good guy; I've always liked him.

I give Gabriel a warm hug, and a moment later, Blue Lowen appears at the top of the stairs.

He's an unusually short, slender omega with a somewhat intimidating expression.

I know better, though. It's only a facade. He has a huge heart.

He's wearing a snow-white silk shirt stretched slightly across his stomach.

Second trimester already.

A wave of emotions hits me.

My eyes drift to the gentle curve of his belly, and I feel a small stab of envy.

As if noticing my gaze, Blue lowers a hand to his belly, and I follow the movement with my eyes. A new life is growing inside him; my nephew will be born in a few months.

Pregnancy suits Blue. His complexion is rosy, and he’s surrounded by a glow of subtle, almost golden energy.

Maybe someday that'll be me? Carrying a new life inside, a small person I will give all my love to—

Stop, Marlow! I quickly shake it off because I don’t want to get depressed right at the start of the visit.

I don't offer Blue a handshake because I know he dislikes them. Instead, he gestures broadly for me to come inside.

The living room is enormous, with a gorgeous view of the green hillside and the lake below.

We settle onto a comfortable sofa, and Gabriel spends a few minutes catching me up on family news and recent events in his and Blue's lives.

He also mentions, with a rather telling look, that Dad keeps asking him if he’s heard anything from me. Apparently, Dad doesn’t feel comfortable bringing it up with me directly and has been trying to get updates through Gabriel instead. I cringe at that. I’ve been deliberately avoiding texting him, because all his worries and warnings would just come pouring out, and I’m at a point where they might actually get to me and seriously throw me off, especially with the Rupert situation.

I stay silent and just give my brother an awkward look. But Gabriel seems just as curious as Dad, so he eventually starts digging into it too. "So how's the facility? Settling in okay? Have you met that other guy yet, you know, the one you're matched with?"

Well, I can tell he's dying to know.

I take a breath.

"Yeah. He seems okay. He's a dental technician," I add as if that's somehow important, even though I can't honestly make myself care much about the profession.

"Well, healthcare's always something," Gabriel mutters, sounding like he has no idea how else to respond.

But that's clearly not what he's most interested in. He's just too embarrassed to ask the real question directly. I decide not to make things easier for him.

Instead, I get straight to the point.

"I had a chance to meet the mysterious person behind the program," I say, turning toward Blue, whose eyebrows immediately lift.

"Let me guess. Fenn Drax."

His tone turns slightly sour. Well, they have a bit of a history together, for sure, and it’s not exactly smooth.

"That's right. I suspect he regrets walking away from your AA version of the program, because they're treating him like an animal over at Welrun. I saw an orderly hit him in the face with a baton. He has wounds all over him; he has clearly been abused."

I start with the biggest bombshell I can think of. I know that'll get their attention, and that's exactly what I want.

"Holy shit," Gabriel mutters.