“Alright. But this sounds like maybe it’s serious. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather talk to your papa? Or even Zinn?”
“No. I need to ask about alpha stuff.”
Valentin gave him a bemused look. “Your papa is an alpha.”
Jordie shook his head. “No. I need to askyoubecause Papa is—because he loves Zinn.”
Valentin stayed quiet, waiting for the teen to explain himself.
Squaring his shoulders, Jordie exhaled, then peered at Valentin. “What I mean is…you’re an alpha who loves your beta partners.”
“Yes.” Valentin pinched his forehead, not following.
“You know my boyfriend Kino is an alpha?”
“Right.” Valentin began connecting the dots. “Oh. I see. You’re worried because he’s going to bloom soon.”
Jordie nodded. “I get that the world is different now. And people can date whoever they want, and there are even families like yours or Kino’s, with more than two fathers, even if some people are still weird about that, just like some people are weird about it when it’s two alphas…” He took a deep breath. “But even if people don’t care about who’s with who as much as before, in school they still teach us that alphas and omegas have thispreferencefor each other.”
“Yes, I learned that too.”
“And I see it in class, even though no one’s bloomed yet. Like Kino’s brother Garin, he’s a good guy, but his boyfriend is an omega and all he ever talks about is how great it’s going to be once they start scenting each other and stuff.”
“You think Kino will want that too?”
“I don’t know. He’s different from Garin. Quieter. He loves me, but is it enough to fight biology?”
“You’re worried he’ll stop loving you?”
“I’m more worried he’ll force himself to keep loving me because he’s honorable, when secretly, he’s wondering what it’s like to be with an omega. I mean, I can’t even take his knot. And I don’t think I’m like his fathers. I couldn’t stay with Kino if he was with other guys and—”
“Wait,” Valentin interrupted. “Wait. Are you and Kino having sex?” He clenched his teeth, realizing it might not be his place to ask.
Jordie’s face turned bright red. “Just…with our hands and mouths.” Closing his eyes, he added, “Papa knows.”
Well, that was good. Valentin wouldn’t need to stress about bringing this up with Calder.
“If you’ve only had that type of sex, then how do you know he can’t use his knot with you?”
Had that been an inappropriate question? Valentin glanced up at the sky.Was he terrible at this? Would he suck at it this badly when it was Ryde’s turn to talk about boys?Thank goodness he had help.
“Betas can’t take alpha knots,” Jordie said, perplexed. “Right?”
Valentin thought about how to reply without informing Jordie that Assa, indeed, took an alpha’s knot regularly and loved it. As long as he was well-prepped, it was one of their favorite things to do. Wes had no interest in trying. But even if neither had wanted his knot, it would not have been a deal-breaker for Valentin.
He settled for being vaguely clinical. “Some betas enjoy being knotted,” he said. “It’s not the same as with an omega, since you need to use artificial slick, but those products are very good these days.”
“Oh.” Jordie inhaled sharply. “The boys in school said…”
The teen’s bewilderment helped ease Valentin’s discomfort.
“And this is why we don’t take sex ed from the boys at school,” Valentin joked. “I’ve seen you and Kino together. He’s a great person, just like you. But you’re both very young. And no one knows the future. You’re correct that coming into bloom is a very important time for alphas and omegas. Lots of intense feelings. It’s part of the reason so many betas like living in the beta neighborhoods, away from all that stuff.” He slung his arm across the back of the porch swing, coaxing Jordie into a side hug. “But it’s not a given that Kino won’t want to stay with you once he blooms. It hasn’t been an issue for me with Assa and Wes, so it might not be for him.”
“But you got to experience heat at least once, with Zinn.”
“That’s true,” Valentin conceded. “But I fell in love with Zinn well before his heat. And it wasn’t because he’s an omega. It’s because from the moment I met him, my entire world shifted. I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t.”
“Was it the same when you met Assa and Wes?”