Chapter 30
His omega was crying.
Levi woke with a start, scooping the younger man into his arms before he’d even fully registered what he was doing. He sat with Elm between his legs, head tucked under Levi’s chin, and rocked him as he filled the room with soothing pheromones as quickly as he could.
He’d never comforted anyone prior to meeting the omega, but he felt the moment Elm began to calm, hushing him when he made a distressed sound, and held him closer when he felt him stir awake.
“Levi,” Elm’s voice was shaky, his hands finding Levi’s waist and clinging to him. When he realized where he was, he seemed to melt into Levi’s hold, as though he’d just run a marathon and reached the finish line.
“Nightmare?” He ran his fingers through the fine hairs at the base of the omega’s skull, keeping his tone light to hide how anxious listening to his mate cry made him.
In this emotional state, learning his alpha was nervous as well would only make Elm more upset.
Levi needed to be unflinching at times like these.
A solid and safe space for the omega to turn to.
Elm needed to trust he would always be there.
Levi intended to be.
“I shot him.” Elm sniffled. “In the heart.”
Zan. He was referring to Zan.
“It’s all right,” Levi reassured. “You were scared. It was self-defense.”
“No it wasn’t. He was unarmed.”
“He had a blaster.” Levi had seen it next to the body. Perhaps Elm hadn’t noticed, probably too distracted by the walkie talkie that had been in the man’s other hand. “He wouldn’t have killed you, but he may have crippled you to prevent you from fleeing. You did what you had to do.”
“I’ve never…”
Killed someone before.
“No, I imagine not.” Kian was annoying, but he’d done one thing right in keeping his brother out of their world for as long as he’d been able. “Put it in a box, shove it in a corner. Or acknowledge that it wasn’t your fault. Blame me if you must. The arrow was meant for my heart, not his.”
In more ways than one.
Elm hesitated, then seemed to come to a decision and sighed. “I saw you first.”
Levi frowned. “Oh?”
“Had a clear shot and everything.” He licked his lips. “I couldn’t take it. Does that make me pathetic, alpha? Weak? I never thought I was easily manipulated before, but now…now I’m not sure.”
“You care for me.” A spot in the center of his chest heated.
“I shouldn’t,” Elm said.
But he didn’t deny it.
For now, that was more than enough.
“You’ve had to murder your own people thanks to me,” the omega stated then. “Aren’t you angry? Shouldn’t you be doing something? Getting revenge for them? Making me suffer instead of…this?”
“This?” He wanted to hear him say it.
“No one has ever looked after me like this.”
“I adore you,” Levi expressed. “A good alpha cherishes his mate. I’ll punish you for running, but never for protecting yourself. No matter whose life is sacrificed in the process. Keep yourself safe, omega, that’s an order. Compared to you, no one else matters.”
Elm pulled away and Levi allowed it, catching sight of the perplexed look on his face. “You’re making it sound like I’m actually important.”
“You’re the Possessio of the White Frost,” Levi reminded.
“That makes you the most important. Higher than even myself.” He took one of Elm’s hands, ran his thumb over his fingers.
“It was my fault. I was waiting to announce you. I didn’t think you were ready to accept the title, and I didn’t want to risk causing you more panic.
If I’d followed protocol and done so, however, the situation with Zan and the man in the cabin never would have occurred. ”
His intention had been to settle things with his omega first, then ease him into the mafia as much as he was comfortable with.
Aside from having to take the title, Levi had no interest in forcing Elm to be involved with the White Frost if he didn’t want to be.
If he chose to exist on the outskirts and avoid the members, so be it.
“I’ve corrected my error in judgement. Word has spread that I’m mated.
Your name has been kept secret for the time being, but anyone who comes into contact with us will know you’re my Possessio based on the way we act with one another.
If there’s ever any trouble, they’re under strict orders to place your safety above all else. ”
“You’re telling me if it came down between the two of us, they’d save me over you?” Elm’s brow furrowed. “How does that make sense? You’re their Dominus.”
“The Dominus who would slay anyone who allows harm to come to you.”
He dropped his gaze. “Don’t they hate me? For hurting those workers, and getting all those people killed?”
“You’re an extension of myself,” Levi stated.
“There’s a reason I’m considered cold blooded.
Removing unworthy members of the White Frost isn’t a new concept.
I rule with absolute control, my word is law, and now everyone knows that anyone who offends my Possessio will die.
” He captured Elm’s chin. “They’ll respect you. Fear you.”
“I don’t want anyone to fear me.”
“Yes, well. Some things are unavoidable.”
“This isn’t the life that I wanted, Leviathan.”
“Tell me,” he urged, “what is?”
Elm turned his head, freeing himself from his hold, and Levi let him. “I don’t know, I just…I wanted to be happy.”
“I’ll make you happy.”
He snorted.
“It’s fine if you don’t believe me,” Levi continued. “I’ll show you.”
The omega started picking at his cuticles, so Levi covered his hands with one of his own.
“Are you ready to go back to sleep now?” This conversation had gotten heavier than he’d anticipated. He’d meant every word earlier that day when he’d said they needed to take things slow.
Elm had both gained and lost a lot all at once. That sort of change took time to adjust to, even for someone as adaptable as he was.
“Yeah, sure.” The omega got back under the covers, rolling onto his side so he was facing Levi. “Alpha?”
“Yes?” He got comfortable and rested a palm over Elm’s hip, making sure there was physical contact, but also enough distance between them not to risk freaking him out.
Elm stared at him a moment and then whispered, “Stay.”
“I won’t go anywhere,” he promised. “I’ll be right here when you wake.”
His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. “Thanks.”
“Anything for you, treasure.”
The corner of Elm’s mouth tipped upward.
* * *
Within a few days, things had mostly returned to normal. Some things had changed, of course, like the way the omega stared at him more openly whenever he thought Levi was too distracted to notice, but acted like he hadn’t been when he was caught in the act.
Elm was trying to sort through his feelings. Trying to figure out if he could accept a future at Levi’s side, and knowing that, Levi never called him out on it. He’d merely go back to whatever he was doing, pretending like the charged moment hadn’t occurred.
He also touched the omega more often. Frequently allowing his touch to linger.
Nothing major, just a knee against his thigh while they were on the couch, or a hand on his shoulder.
At night, he held Elm close while they slept, calming him if there were more nightmares, always waiting for the omega to wake before getting out of bed.
Things had gotten better in that department. By the end of the week, the bad dreams had seemingly come to an end, and Elm’s surprise clinginess had subsided.
Which was why Levi was currently searching for him.
“Koah and Pike are both missing, and you don’t seem all that concerned about it,” Baal’s voice came through the earbud attachment in Levi’s right ear as he headed up to the second floor.
“The General can handle himself,” Levi stated.
“And Pike? What if they aren’t together and he alerts Kian?”
“What would he tell him? That we held him captive?” Who cared? “We’re enemies. That’s to be expected when one of theirs lurks into our territory unannounced.”
“If he mentions Elm—”
“He knows nothing about that,” Levi reminded. Pike had never gotten close enough to catch sight of Elm, and they certainly hadn’t revealed to him that he was with them. Hell, Oberon didn’t even know the identity of the Possessio, and he was one of Levi’s few close confidants.
“Still,” Baal insisted, “this could turn into a problem.”
“So solve it.”
“Leviathan.”
“That’s your job, underboss, or have you forgotten?”
“You aren’t the only alpha with an omega that needs pleasing.”
“He isn’t ready to return to society,” Levi said. “This is too delicate to rush. He needs to come to the decision to accept me, and our future together, on his own. That’s the only way I’ll keep him.”
Levi could force Elm back to the estate, lock him up like he had before, warn him not to harm anyone with his pheromones. But to what end?
“I don’t want a hostage mate,” he drawled. “I want a partner.”
There was silence for a moment and then Baal blew out a breath. “We tracked down who was responsible for the attack on us. Interested?”
“It was the Serpents.”
“…How did you know that?”
“They’ve been growing bolder since the Eumia moved their main branch to Glyph,” Levi explained, heading down one of the hallways. “They’re the only idiots who’d risk something so stupid.”
“Word on the streets is they’ve been collecting weapons. Making deals with suppliers behind our backs.”
Levi was well aware. The leader, Poe, had been picking up their discarded scraps for years now. Any time the White Frost cut ties with a supplier, the Serpents slithered in like vermin.
“Took them long enough to act.” He glanced into the game room, where Elm had spent most of his day yesterday, but it was empty. His omega had taken to distracting himself, a week wearing the bunny tail finally chipping away at his impressive ability to roll with the punches.
Elm was losing patience.
Which meant he’d do something about it soon.
“You knew? Don’t answer that. Of course you did. And you were planning on sharing this with me when exactly?”
“Now.”
“Damn it, Levi.”
“We outnumber them three to one,” he reminded.