Chapter 7
“I’m not a big fan of summons.” Oberon draped an arm over the back of Levi’s chair and peered out over the crowd, trying to pinpoint what had captured the Dominus’ attention. “What are we looking at?”
“The Wolf,” Levi stated in his firm, no-nonsense voice.
“No shit.” O moved closer to the edge, but he still couldn’t make out who he was staring at. “Where?”
“Talking with Koah.”
Shit.
He spun on his heels, ready to make his way back over—and froze.
Koah and Fenrir were still alone, talking amongst each other.
“Well. Fuck me.” That helped fill in the blanks that had gone unanswered. “I was wondering why the Mistress of the Wardrobe put a synthetic omega into the mix.”
“He’s altered?” Levi’s eyes finally focused, though Oberon wasn’t fond of the way they settled on Fenrir, taking him in from head to toe the way he would size up an enemy.
Which, technically, Fenrir was, sure.
But that didn’t change the way O felt about it.
“You found out he’s the Wolf, but you didn’t know about this?” Oberon didn’t understand his need to step between them, but acted on instinct, allowing himself to move to block his friend’s view. When Levi lifted a brow, he shrugged. “No clue why, but I’m feeling kind of possessive of him.”
“Of the synthetic omega known to warm Michelle Ophelia’s bed?”
“Rumored,” he corrected. “Besides, so what if he has? He’s a heat virgin.”
“Fenrir Snow tell you that?”
“I literally just bought him from a heat auction. A virginal one.”
“Yes, because information on the label is never doctored.” Levi settled back in his seat, a glass chair with a white cushion.
It wasn’t regal by definition, and yet whenever he sat on it, it somehow screamed the word throne.
That, of course, was by design. Appearance was everything to the Leviathan.
Everything around him, down to the minute detail, was carefully curated by his own fingers.
Even the decorations in this place. An outsider probably assumed he’d hired a decorator to do all of the planning, but that wasn’t the case. Every floral arrangement, colored balloon, and tapestry had been carefully selected by Levi to ensure the exact feel and vibe he envisioned was presented.
Ice sculptures shaped like cherubs decorated tables.
They’d been made with a red liquid, so as they melted over the white tablecloths, they stained.
Alcoves had been created in shadowy areas of the ballroom below, inviting couples to tuck themselves away from prying eyes.
Classical music spilled from hidden speakers, at just the right volume to be heard, but not loud enough that anyone needed to scream over it to find a suitable partner.
Tonight, like many of the White Frost events, was about raw power and primal urges. Everyone was encouraged to hook up and go hard. To spend the rest of the weekend tumbling between the sheets. And they would too.
All of them except for the Leviathan himself.
Levi was too big of a control freak to allow a random stranger close enough to climb into his bed. He’d take lovers now and again, but they were always carefully selected. With background checks run on them several times over beforehand.
And that had been before.
For the past six months, their Dominus hadn’t shown any interest in getting laid. Not even once. If the subject was even jokingly brought up, his mood would sour, and he’d take it out on whoever had been dumb enough to speak about such things.
Oberon sort of got it. After what Levi had gone through, it made sense that there’d be some…trauma around things like that.
But he wasn’t going to waste his time on whether or not his friend ever got his dick wet again. Not when there were more pressing matters.
Like how badly O wanted to fuck the synthetic omega in question, even if he ended up being the mysterious Wolf. Which he really must be, because Levi wouldn’t have made an accusation like that without proof.
“Is that why you called me over here?” Oberon asked. “Does Koah know?”
“You’re the first one I’ve told,” Levi said.
“Oh, why is that?”
“Because you’re the one who brought him here?”
“Are you saying you’re being thoughtful, Dominus?” As if.
“I’m being strategic,” he confirmed. “Since Michelle enrolled her pet in the auction, that must mean they have a plan. Did you feel targeted?”
Oberon laughed. “Not at all.”
But…
“Looked like Fenrir was ordered to go after easier bait.” He’d been staring Note Hex down pretty obviously. “It’s likely they were after a White Frost member.”
“She must have heard something.” Levi rubbed at his temple. “I’ll have Koah check for leaks in our resources. If one of our plants was caught and Michelle caught wind of our plans—”
“No,” Oberon interrupted, shaking his head as his mind worked the problem from a different angle.
Levi was logical. Using rationale and reason.
O was the opposite. He believed in following his gut and trusting his alpha instincts.
“If she knew we were getting ready to take over her company from a legal standpoint, she’d send her lawyer, not Fenrir.”
“That loud alpha who is as tall as a tree?” Levi tsked. “He’s hardly inconspicuous.”
Trick P’at was often mistaken for a bodyguard, but they’d since learned that wasn’t the case.
The real reason he stuck to Michelle like glue was because he was her counsel, and he had the degree and schooling to back it up.
Oberon kept his distance from the Wardrobe, but even he knew the two of them had a tendency to value offense over defense.
“If they’d caught one of us amidst their ranks, they would have sent them back in a body bag.” Oberon was sure of it. “They’d be making a statement, not playing nice. Michelle knows something is coming, but she hasn’t figured out what yet. That’s why she risked sending Fenrir to me.”
“The rumors must not be very true,” Levi said. “I don’t know of any alpha who would willingly place their omega in harm's way.”
Fenrir wasn’t her omega. He didn’t bear her mark.
And he never would.
“Is he in harm’s way?” he asked instead, setting a warning look on his friend.
“I think the better question is why do you care if he is?” Levi made no moves to get up, but he was paying sharper attention now. “Didn’t the two of you just meet?”
“About four hours ago,” Oberon filled in. “So? Baal fell for a guy over a sandwich and spent years searching for him.”
“Are you saying this is the same as it is with Baal and Thorn?”
“No.” His nose scrunched. “Don’t be absurd.”
The underboss had hunted down the identity of the omega he’d experienced that random encounter with and had finally found him about a year ago. Ownership had always been the goal. Despite the parting joke Oberon had made back at the auction house, he had no intentions of trying to hold onto Fenrir.
“I’m not the one who needs that advice,” Levi said.
O sighed. “What do you want me to do?”
“Keep a close eye on him?”
“Well, seeing as how I plan to be balls deep inside of him in the foreseeable future, I don’t think that will be a problem.”
“Fuck him, then release him.” Levi waved a hand, disinterest settling in once more.
“Since you’re so certain his mistress isn’t on to us, there’s a chance this is a mere diversion meant to make us question things.
I’ll have Koah tighten security. Find a way to plant a tracking device on the synthetic omega when you’re done with him. Perhaps he can be useful.”
“Sure.” Oberon didn’t see a problem with that. All he had to do was satiate his curiosity, and there was little doubt that wouldn’t happen after sleeping with Fenrir. Then, the omega would be meaningless to him, and he’d send him back to the Wardrobe as promised.
It seemed pretty simple to him, but Levi didn’t appear to be as convinced.
“What?” O asked.
“You agreed, just like that?” The Dominus rested his chin on his palm. “If he’s caught with a bug on his person, the Wardrobe won’t go easy on him.”
“That’s not my problem.” O frowned. “Hold up, weren’t you the one just telling me not to get attached?”
“There were insinuations,” he corrected, “but I never told you not to in so many words.”
“You aren’t making much sense, Leviathan.” Which was out of character, and any time someone did something that was unlike their usual self… Oberon’s eyes narrowed. “What are you playing at?”
“Not a thing.” Levi motioned with his chin over O’s shoulder. “Looks like the Wolf has been left to his own devices. I suggest you go over there before he acts on whatever orders he’s under and gets himself in trouble.”
Feeling like the tables had been turned on him, yet unable to grasp why, Oberon wandered off, heading back to Fenrir who had, in fact, been abandoned by Koah at some point.
He reached him just as the omega finished downing a drink, and he watched Fenrir select another glass, this one with a purple concoction in it, before turning to acknowledge he’d returned.
The waitress who’d served him slipped away as soon as he’d turned his back to her, but that was no matter.
Oberon was over drinking.
“Good talk?” Fenrir asked. “Took you long enough.”
“I wasn’t aware you’d already grown so fond of my presence.” He eyed the drink in Fenrir’s hand for a little longer than was comfortable, wondering how close he was to getting drunk now. “I have bad news.”
“Oh?”
“It appears Baal has already booked the penthouse suite for the night.”
The corner of Fenrir’s mouth twitched. “That is terrible news indeed.”
“I was hoping to regale you with—” Oberon cut himself off abruptly, nostrils flaring.
A second later, Fenrir seemed to pick up on why.
The omega’s skin flushed suddenly, beads of sweat dotting his brow. Without seeming to realize what he was doing, he reached up and started tugging on the knot of his tie. A second later, he swooned, dropping his glass in the process.
It shattered on the ground between them, but Oberon hardly noticed, shooting forward to catch Fenrir just as he tipped closer to the banister.
“Omega,” a growl rumbled out of him as he pulled Fenrir in close. “Explain.”
“Heat,” he replied dumbly, shaking his head as a wave of dizziness overcame him.
“You said you weren’t due for at least a week.” Oberon had inducers in his pocket for that very reason.
“Must be too many alphas.” Fenrir gazed down at the crowd. “I haven’t been…They keep us separate at the estate.”
That could be it, but so soon after his talk with Levi, O was less open to buying it. Had Fenrir taken a pill himself? Or had someone slipped him something?
Some of these drinks already had inducers mixed in. If no one had warned him while he was over here blindly selecting glasses from passing trays…
Damn it. That was why he’d wanted Koah to stay with him.
“You’re leaking pheromones. If we don’t get you out of here, I’ll really have to make good on my passing comment about murdering my friends.
” He might too. Fenrir’s sweet scent was getting to him, his cock already swelling, the need to flip Fenrir and bend him over…
take him, even with all of these people present… Fuck. “Claudio.”
Oberon’s secretary appeared as though from thin air, but missed how Fenrir seemed to stiffen in Oberon’s hold.
But O didn’t.
Why the odd reaction? Claudio, while alpha, was weak. His pheromones were barely perceptible on a good day, and today was not one of those days. There was no reason for Fenrir to react to him at all.
“Bring the car around,” Oberon ordered, setting everything else aside. It didn’t matter that this omega was keeping secrets from him, all that mattered was sequestering off to somewhere safe and secure where O could have him all to himself.
“Where are we going?” Fenrir shook his head vehemently when O started moving toward the stairs. “Let’s stay. Pick a room. They must have at least one vacancy. I won’t last.”
As he dragged the omega down the winding steps, nearby alphas and omegas tipped their noses up, sniffing. A few turned their attention to Fenrir, only dropping their gazes when Oberon lashed back with aggressive pheromones that had them all swaying on their feet.
“We just need to get you out of here, precious,” Oberon said. “Hang on for me.”