"He believes you rejected him, at any rate, if not ejected," Hosack returns, without rancor. He's well aware of the tendencies of both of them to exaggeration and to dramatics.

A shake of his head. "Yes, I've seen him." He laughs. "If I weren't a happily married man... And, of course, if he didn't put off the smell of a mated omega at fifteen paces."

Another sigh.

"Aaron," he says, "the man's nineteen years old -- if that! -- pregnant, and unmarried, and an omega. And the damned idiot won't even admit he's at a disadvantage, much less that you could hurt him. I had to press him for days before he even admitted you made promises."