Page 58 of Monster. Me.

I know I have to sound like someone telling the truth, but also like I’m clueless and it’s their job to get to the bottom of it.

"Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place. Maybe it’s just magic." I grin broadly, as though I’m mocking their narrow scientific perspective, but I’m actually giving him important information. The truth. I’m just disguising it as a joke.

Dr. Lee watches me for another long moment.

Then he says, "You know, sometimes I think Sidorov lied to me." His lips tighten slightly. "That story about him simply finding you by chance and randomly deciding, ‘Hey, since you look different from normal people, you can probably change someone’s hormonal profile from beta to omega or alpha to omega.’ Come on. I don’t buy it. I just can’t make it fit in my head. Can you help me understand?"

Damn, he’s persistent, and I really need to be at my best for this performance. I spread my hands theatrically and give a shrug.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe it’s magic, Dr. Lee? I don’t know the scientific side of the process. That’s your specialty."

Dr. Lee ignores the question.

"Why do you think Blue Lowen shut down his own Alpha Activation project? Brilliant man. Exceptionally intelligent. Yet he gave up."

I swallow.

"Well… they didn’t have me as their primary subject anymore. That’s probably why."

Dr. Lee bites lightly at his lip while his fingers continue scratching thoughtfully along his beard.

"Something about all of this doesn’t add up, Drax."

What am I supposed to tell him?

If I revealed to him what I believe is actually happening, if I explained the source of my ability, they’d shut down this program today.

My story is fairly short.

Around my presumed eighteenth birthday, when my pheromones began to gradually awaken, my status at the young alphas’ camp shifted. I went from being hated and feared to someone who suddenly attracted a lot of attention, including from members of the staff. In some cases, I gave in. It was all new and fascinating to me, and I found their attention flattering.

Although betas are officially believed to be almost incapable of detecting pheromones, the sheer volume I produced in those early days, coupled with the staff's constant exposure to them, still had an effect.

Those who had some omega characteristics were especially drawn to me. Soon, they became pregnant. None of them chose to carry the pregnancies to term, but the fact that it happened made me start putting two and two together.

When I met Sidorov, I wasn’t yet sure whether it would also work on regular betas, those without omega traits, but as it turned out, it did.

I realized that having sex with me was activating something inside other men's bodies. It happened completely without my conscious involvement or control, even though by then I had already learned how to influence the function of other glands and biological systems in the body.

I eventually concluded that this specific ability was rooted on a much deeper level than my other powers. To put it simply: my animal side was in control of it.

In the end, it all came down to the fact that my abilities couldn’t be replicated in any laboratory, but that wasn’t something I was willing to admit to them. If I did, I would lose my usefulness, essentially my only leverage for earning money and securing a reduced sentence… Can anyone really blame me for that?

Perhaps sensing my unwillingness to discuss details, Dr. Lee slowly rises to his feet.

"No answer?"

"Magic, doctor. It’s not my fault if you don’t believe in it."

Dr. Lee dismisses the comment with a small wave of his hand, and a faint smile touches the corner of his mouth.

"I think everyone defines magic differently. Magic might be the unconscious charm of a creature that produces pheromones capable of attracting potential partners. Magic might also be that creature’s ability to alter those partners on the level of sex itself, transforming every single one of them into fertile vessels capable of passing on its genes."

My heart slams against my ribs.

Dr. Lee is dangerously close to the truth, but I have to keep up the act.

"I had a vasectomy, Dr. Lee. I can’t impregnate anyone."