Kyungsoo sat in his office reviewing notes for his next appointment with Minseok Kim.

The possibility of a beta being impregnated by an omega was interesting, but there was not a lot of literature on the subject. Though nothing indicated it would be more difficult than a beta being impregnated by an alpha. And given Mr. Kim's build and medical history, his pregnancy would be high risk even carrying another beta's child. For now, it was Kyungsoo's clinical opinion the best course of action would be to treat Minseok as if he was pregnant by an alpha and monitor the situation. 

He set his notes aside and leaned back in the chair, rubbing a hand over his short hair.

His alpha-father hadn't contacted him since Kyungsoo ignored the phone when Soojin was sick. Normally the older alpha texted or called two or three times a day until Kyungsoo was forced to deal with him. He hadn't contacted Mihi either, which was his typical recourse when Kyungsoo put off handling him too long. It was disconcerting and mildly concerning for Hyoen to be deviating from his pattern. The alpha's predictability was the only reason Kyungsoo and his birth-mother survived long enough to get away from him.

Kyungsoo was sure his alpha-father hadn't died. There was too much nastiness in Hyeon for him to leave the world so easily. And Kyungsoo was positive, as next of kin, he would hear from Hyeon's creditors in short order if the alpha was gone. This was probably some new form of extortion, some con to get more money. Kyungsoo groaned at the idea. Maybe he should talk to Jongin about it. Except Kai was walking shows in Singapore for the next week. And if Kyungsoo was going to suffer talking about his alpha-father, he wanted the comfort of his mate's scent and warmth of Jongin's well-sculpted body pressed close.

He put Hyoen out of his mind for the moment. The alpha was best left forgotten until he made a nuisance of himself and needed to be dealt with. Kyungsoo had more important things to spend his mental energy on.

Kyungsoo looked at the four framed photos on his desk.

Soojin grinning proudly on her first day going to daycare -- Jongin stayed up all night picking out an outfit, a blue dress with white flowers, and packed two extra outfits in case she needed to change. His and Jongin's formal mating ceremony, both of them in white suits under an arch of pink and white flowers -- Kyungsoo wanted a small event, but Jongin's parents insisted on an extravaganza for their only son. The last vacation in Hawaii -- because why bother being married to the infamous Kai if he didn't get to have pictures of the model bare-chested and drenched in salt water and sunlight sitting on his desk. And Jongin looking utterly wretched and unbelievably perfect as he held Soojin in the hospital for the first time.

Kyungsoo reached for the last photo.

His mate was beaming an exhausted smile that had none of Kai's model flair, just pure Jongin happiness at finally holding their daughter in his arms.

The photo showed no hint of the grueling forty-eight hours before it was taken. Jongin's going into early labor. The surgeon who was supposed to perform the c-section arriving at the hospital drunk and clearly in no state to proceed. The mad scramble to find another doctor while Jongin suffered one agonizing contraction after another. Kyungsoo clutching his mate's hand and saying all the right things, even as he as sure he was about to lose both Jongin and their child. That insane moment where he attempted to convince the hospital staff he could perform surgery, and the nurse having to pin him to a wall and convince him he was too emotionally compromised to do so. None of that was in the photo. Just a proud birth-parent showing off his newborn, his miracle.

Soojin was their miracle.

Kyungsoo set down the photo and rubbed his hands over his face.

That day in the shower, he heard what Jongin said: I want another miracle. He knew what his mate meant and it made his heart flutter and blood go cold. If Jongin had been looking at his face, he would have known Kyungsoo understood. But he hadn't, and so Kyungsoo pretended he hadn't heard Jongin admitting he wanted another child. Jongin didn't mean to tell him like that, and, honestly, Kyungsoo didn't know how to respond. He was glad for the reprieve.

He glanced at the  picture of Soojin grinning.

Their daughter was one of the greatest joys in Kyungsoo's world. He wouldn't trade Soojin for anything. However, he didn't know if he could knowingly go through the struggles it took to have a child again. Not simply the difficulties of alpha pregnancy, as he was infinitely better equipped for those since establishing the clinic. But it was hard for an alpha to have a viable pregnancy in the first place.

It took two years of actively attempting to get pregnant, monitoring cycles and fertility treatments, to get pregnant with Soojin. They had their schedules arranged so they could be available when Jongin was fertile. had become a chore and their home reeked of frustration. There was serious strain in their mating the months before they found out they finally, finally conceived. Kyungsoo didn't know if he could go through it again. He didn't know if he could put Soojin through it, either.

"An obstetrician afraid of pregnancy," Kyungsoo said, and laughed at himself. "Wonderful."

There was a knock on the door and one of the nurses poked her head in. She tapped her wrist to indicate he'd lost track of time. "Mr. Kim is here," she said. "He brought both his mates with him. The alpha seems mellow, but the omega is incredibly protective. He interrogated Yoona when she went in to do a blood draw."

Kyungsoo locked his computer and tablet and gathered his notes as he got up. "Mr. Kim said his omega mate was also pregnant. Pregnancy hormones make omegas possessive."

The nurse scribbled something down, reminding Kyungsoo nurse Yura was doing her internship. "Have you read up much on pregnancy psychology?" he asked as he put on his lab coat.

She grimaced and Kyungsoo tried not to smile. He was notorious for giving interns pop quizzes on their knowledge base. "The required reading, of course," she said as she held the door open for him. "It's generally accepted the hormones released during an omega's pregnancy cause a possessiveness toward their mate to ensure the survival of themselves and their offspring. They ward off any potential threat to their mate, especially in the form of other omegas that might steal their mate."

The hormone release was science and the rest was conjecture. However, it did seem to be accurate when looking at sociological data.

"How about betas?" he asked as they walked down the maze of halls.

"Betas don't have the same hormones during pregnancy. Ah!" She corrected herself before Kyungsoo could. "They don't have them in the same high levels."

"Correct. The reason?"

"Inconclusive. But historically betas form beta communities, so even if their mate passes on or leaves, they still have a support structure to ensure their child's survival."

"You've picked up a lot more from the required reading than most interns," Kyungsoo said as they passed into the halls with the exam rooms.

"Thank you," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. Then she frowned. "I don't know about alphas, though."

Kyungsoo contained a snarl. "There is very little material you could read. The medical review board is made up of alphas. They are constantly rejecting promising studies on alpha pregnancy, even when those studies would have met the standard to be accepted had they been about betas or omegas."

Yura pressed her lips in a line and considered.

They arrived at exam room nine and Yura handed him the charts he needed before he went in. Mr. Kim was sitting on the examination table, more color in his face than he had during his last appointment. His alpha was standing next to him, rubbing his back, and smiled at Kyungsoo's arrival. Mr. Kim's omega, on the other hand, scowled and kept his arms crossed like he was trying to hold himself back. This would be interesting.