15. Levi
Chapter fifteen
Levi
W e gather around the ominous note Gryphon places down on his desk.
“Your days are up, Governor.”
I run my hand through my hair.
Shit.
“Did they leave a signature?” Jeremy asks.
Gryphon huffs out a breath, falling on his chair. “No. But I can bet all my money that I know who sent it.”
Unless that’s what the enemy wants us to think.
That note could have been written by anyone—the warden, Alpha insurgents, Betas…
The list is endless.
We truly are surrounded on all fronts.
A low rumble comes from the corner, and I peer toward Reed. “What?”
He huffs. “Nothing.”
“You have permission to speak out loud, Pack Gold,” Gryphon orders, peering at my pack brother specifically.
Reed arches an eyebrow, glancing at me.
I wave a hand. “Go ahead.”
Reed steps toward the desk, reaching his fingers out. “Hand me the note.”
Theo snorts. “Aw, is Lucky going to sniff out the enemy for us?”
“That’s enough, Titan,” Gryphon demands, but the asshole Alpha just continues to tease Reed.
Reed bares his teeth at Theo and then sniffs the note. Another low growl escapes him.
“They used desensitizer, but I can still pick up a trace.”
Gryphon steeples his fingers on his desk. “And?”
Reed meets his gaze. “It's an Alpha scent.”
Well, that singles out a possible Beta threat. They’re still protesting on the streets, but things have quietened down since the announcement that the Beta Trials will resume with ordinary civilians.
Now they will all get to have their taste of pack life.
It won’t be random. The Betas will be matched based on scent. All Betas have one, too; it’s just fainter than an Alpha's or Omega's scent.
“Any Alpha you recognize?” Gryphon prods further.
He sniffs again. “No… well, maybe…"
Theo groans, going back to the couch in the corner. “Well, speak, Gold. Don’t leave us hanging.”
Reed barks, “Fuck off!”
“Hey, enough,” Gryphon says, but Theo just continues to tease my pack brother.
I turn to him. “He will tear your head off.”
Theo rolls his onyx eyes, holding up his palms in peace. “Kellen’s the same way, I get it.”
Meaning Kellen and Reed can't take banter, that is.
Jeremy crosses his arms, keeping his feet wide apart as he addresses Reed. “Well? Tell us, Gold.”
Reed inhales deeply as he sniffs the note again. “The scent is faint, but… it’s similar to the one on…”
He can’t proceed. My heart rate accelerates because I know what he is going to say.
Holy shit… I knew Reed’s sense of smell was good, but not that good.
Opal probably hasn’t had physical contact with the warden since she joined the Academy.
Well over four years ago.
He can pick up on scents that old?”
Gryphon smiles tightly. “Opal?”
Reed closes his eyes and nods. “Aye.”
Fuck. I have to sit down.
I take the place next to Theo, and my head spins around and around.
Jeremy gazes at Reed wide-eyed. “Holy shit. That’s incredible... Sorry, I wish it was through different circumstances, but…”
“It’s fine,” Reed says. “But… when I placed my hand on her old bond mark the other day… It was as if he were in the room. And his scent was strong .”
I bet it was.
It seems Reed’s sense of smell is something more. It’s a freaking sixth sense. All it took was for him to touch Opal’s old bond, and he picked up a psychic connection.
“It was as if I were seeing him through her eyes, and…”
Reed doesn’t finish, his eyes flickering over to me guiltily, yet the implication of his words echoes.
Reed has established a bond with Opal in some fashion. One through psychic means.
Normally, that bond is in place once the Alpha bites his Omega, but Reed isn’t like other Alphas.
Acutes are known for being extra powerful where their senses are concerned.
There is only one explanation.
Opal is his mate.
I bet he isn’t pleased by that. He still doesn’t wholly trust the Omega, but he has developed a bond with her now, whether he likes it or not.
It should be an easy pill to swallow.
Now, I can’t help but worry for Opal. Her memories and thoughts are hers alone.
So, I will not allow Reed to peer into them.
Judging by the look on his sour face, he’d never meant to open up the telepathic connection. And if he knows what’s good for him, then he would do well to ensure it never happens again.
He's already in Zayden’s bad books.
“I have a proposition,” Gryphon announces suddenly.
We all turn to him.
Gryphon glances at Reed. “How do you feel about reconnaissance, Reed?”
Does he mean for Reed to go outside the city lines? To scout the enemy?
He is one of our strongest Alphas, but I wonder how Zayden will feel about him leaving.
Gryphon glances at Jeremy. “You eager for him to join your team?”
Jeremy places his hand on his chin, studying Reed. “He would be a good asset. His acute sense of smell, coupled with Rian’s tracking skills... they’d be unstoppable.”
I had never really thought of that. I guess that’s why I am not the strategist here.
Reed finds me. As his pack lead, he wants to seek my permission. But what other choice do we have?
His skills are vital.
It may help Reed to get out of the house for a while.
Separation from Zayden may be for the best.
“You don’t have to decide now. I understand if you both want to discuss this as a pack. All three of you.”
He's talking about Jeremy, too, since Jeremy and Rian will have to leave their packs, too.
Rian would have to leave Belle, and I have seen how close that Omega is to him.
“Yes, sir,” we all reply, and I throw my head back on the couch, rubbing at an oncoming migraine.
The next few weeks will be hard.