CHAPTER 7
CADEN
What?
“What… What do you mean?” Caden could feel his heart starting to beat fast and his blood rushed in his ears. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard the man right or if he was imagining things, because it couldn’t be…
“You are pregnant with my child,” Xade repeated, his expression serious.
Caden just stared at him, completely dumbfounded. But as the words slowly started to make more sense in his brain, he couldn’t help the burst of laugh that escaped his lips. He laughed for almost a whole minute, nearly gasping for air. If the Zatan man’s chambers weren’t so luxurious, he might have thought he’d actually slept with the palace joker, not a prince.
“That’s crazy,” he finally said, catching his breath. “You’re hilarious. Do you even know how weird what you’re saying sounds?”
The prince stared back at him, not a hint of amusement on his face. He wasn’t laughing along with Caden – he wasn’t even smiling. In fact, he looked a little tense. Caden composed himself, realizing that whatever was going on was more serious than he had thought.
“What I have said is not a joke,” Xade said, “but the truth.”
“No,” Caden said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Xade, but I don’t think you understand. I’m… Well, I’m a guy. Human men can’t have babies. That’s women you’re thinking of.”
Xade pushed himself into a seated position, leaning against the headboard. Caden sat up too, cross-legged and facing the Zatan man.
“Listen,” the prince said. “Allow me to explain.”
Caden took a deep breath. Xade’s claim made absolutely no sense, but whatever this was, it seemed important to him. As the Zatan man stared at Caden with his deep, dark eyes, Caden could tell that he at least believed what he was saying, even if Caden didn’t. And because he believed in it, a sudden nagging thought entered Caden’s mind that perhaps there was something more to this after all.
He immediately brushed the thought aside, but he couldn’t get rid of it completely. Suddenly nervous, was he truly ready to hear what Xade had to say?
“Please, explain,” he said at last, completely serious. “I promise, no more laughing.”
Xade nodded, clearly relieved, and began his explanation.
“While it may not be typical for human males to bear children, it does occasionally occur on Zata,” he said, giving Caden a significant look that made a lump of something hard catch in his throat. “Currently, there is a shortage of females on Zata, as sometimes naturally occurs here. During these periods, Zatan males known as Omegas serve as mates and carry children for the Alpha males. Do you understand so far?”
“I… Okay,” Caden said, slowly. “I guess.”
He understood the words that Xade was saying, sure, but he was having a hard time believing it could be possibly true. A shortage of women? Men carrying babies? Two men creating babies? It made no sense, and yet, he could tell that Xade was completely serious about this.
But even if it was true and Zatan men could sometimes carry a baby, Caden was a human. Xade couldn’t just apply Zatan biology to him.
…Could he?
“It appears that you are an Omega and are now carrying my child, no matter your human biology. I already knew the moment that I saw you that you are my mate and belong to me, but I can now tell you with a certainty that you are pregnant as well. I can smell the change in you.”
Silence hung in the air for a few long seconds as the reality set in. Caden ignored the fact that Xade had said he could smell the change in him. He hoped that didn’t mean he could smell the puke on him.
But although Xade’s claim had been nothing short of absurd, Caden realized it did make some sense. He hadn’t drunk much at the party last night and usually, he could hold his liquor. Morning sickness would work as an explanation for his nausea upon waking. But…
“What does this mean?” Caden asked, realizing how – if he was truly pregnant – this would change his entire life. He already felt like a changed person, just knowing that it was a possibility.
“It means that we have been brought together by the Gods. You have been brought to me to produce me children, and I will protect you and care for you always. We are never to be apart again.”
Caden blinked. This was insane. Absolutely unbelievable. And yet… Caden felt tears gather in his eyes. A fountain of emotion burst within him and he began to sob uncontrollably. He looked away, embarrassed.
Xade’s brow instantly furrowed in worry and he leaned closer to Caden. “My sweet Omega, please tell me why you are crying.”
Caden could barely stop to respond. “Don’t–Don’t worry about me,” he said through his tears. He wiped his face with the back of his hand but it didn’t do any good because fresh tears came anew. “I’m not crying because I’m sad,” he managed.
The prince’s relief was obvious in the way his face instantly relaxed.
“I’m… I’m overjoyed,” Caden continued. “I’m so extremely happy. If what you’re saying really is true, then all my prayers have been answered at last.” He had barely talked to anyone on Earth about these feelings and yet, in this moment, the words just spilled out of him so easily.
“All I’ve wanted is a man in my life. A man like you. And a family of my own. I want kids, lots of them, and…” He looked up into Xade’s dark eyes and smiled through his tears. “You have to understand, Xade, you’re telling me that I can have all that.”
A tight embrace was the Zatan man’s response.
“I am so relieved to hear you say that,” Xade said in a low voice. The prince held Caden so close that he could barely breathe, and yet he pressed himself even closer against his chest, tears of happiness flowing from his eyes.
Could this really be true?
The father of his child. His partner for the rest of his life.
Xade.
They stayed that way for what seemed like both an eternity and much too short a time. Caden savored every moment of the embrace, relishing in the knowledge that there would be many, many more such moments to come.