Chapter 37
Elm didn’t know where he was going.
Didn’t know what he was doing either, if he was being honest.
He’d raced from the restaurant with no sense of direction, his only purpose to get away. Now that he was out in the fresh air, listening to the bustling sounds of a busy city, the sheer overwhelming sense of grief he’d been experiencing dwindled enough for him to see through it.
Hearing that Levi had slept with Shiloh had been a blow.
To his ego. And to his peace. His instantaneous reaction had been that it was all a lie, and he’d grieved over the loss of what he’d thought was a solid relationship.
He’d always known when the foundation was rocky, nothing lasting could be built on top of it, and yet…
It felt like someone had reached into his chest and torn his heart out, and the worst part was how embarrassed it all made him.
Embarrassed that there was a chance Levi had tricked him.
Embarrassed that’s all his brother thought of him.
And embarrassed that he’d run.
Again.
After promising he wouldn’t.
Elm stopped in a side alley, out of breath, covered in a sheen of sweat despite the cold. The frigid air reminded him he’d left without his coat, and being stationary made him start to shiver.
He should go back.
Confront the issue.
Make sure Levi and Kian hadn’t killed each other in his absence.
But…
Resting his head against the rough brick wall behind him, Elm glanced up at the light gray sky.
Cars zipped past both ends of the alley, and every now and again, someone would pass by on the sidewalk, momentarily coming into his line of sight.
Some of them spoke on the phone, others were with friends, their chatter cutting through the quiet he’d grown used to at the lodge.
The comfortable silence that he now missed.
He hadn’t realized how exhausting the world had always been, or how he’d pushed himself so hard to interact with it despite the energy suck it gave him. In his mind, that was how it was meant to be, how everyone navigated society. Community meant acceptance. A place to belong. A purpose.
Elm’s role within it had always been the laid back, easygoing friend. Reliable. Content to jump between groups without ever really establishing himself in any of them. He used to whole heartedly believe that was because he was too plain to fully captivate anyone, but now he saw the truth.
He wasn’t boring.
He was bored.
It wasn’t that no one ever wanted to get closer to him, it was just that he’d always been so busy flitting from one place to another, never letting himself rest for too long in one location for fear of others discovering he was too dull to invest in.
Elm had wanted someone to see his worth.
But he hadn’t even been able to see it himself.
Until Levi.
A cloud drifted overhead, somewhat shaped like a dragon, and he exhaled slowly, trying to calm his fast-beating heart.
It wasn’t just the alpha’s reassuring words that had convinced him.
Although, those were always more than welcome, as Elm quite enjoyed being told how valuable and great he was.
But it went deeper than that. It was in the little things.
The way Levi glanced at him with the softest expression Elm had ever seen on anyone.
The way he touched him. Fleeting brushes of his elbow when he was setting out dinner.
His foot on Elm’s ankle under the blankets.
And the sex…
Slow and deliberate and perfect.
Elm winced. Had it been like that with Levi and Shiloh?
Had he taken the time to gently open Kian’s other brother up for him? Fed him his cock carefully, afraid he’d cause injury like he had with Elm?
The alpha could be rough when he wanted—or, more like when Elm wanted him to be—but Levi preferred it tender. Considered it more intimate.
Levi had also told him that sex had never been like that with anyone else.
But…
Why hadn’t he mentioned Shiloh? Why keep it a secret?
Kian clearly thought it was proof the Leviathan was using him, but now that Elm had gotten away and had gained the space to breathe and consider all of the possibilities…that seemed the least likely.
Maybe he was a fool, trusting in the one person in the universe he most definitely should not.
The White Frost and the Eumia had decades of dark history. Who was Elm to think he could come along and magically change that? With what? His phenomenal ass? Please.
He groaned and dropped his head in his hands, rubbing at his temples. A headache was forming.
If Levi were here, he’d massage the pain away before it could get worse.
The alpha would arrive eventually. Elm was well aware.
A part of the reason he wasn’t freaking out wondering where to go was because of that fact.
The tracking devices in his body would lead the Leviathan straight to him, so there was no fear of getting lost or having to figure out what he’d do once night began to fall.
Elm really could go back and save him the trouble…
He snorted.
Levi didn’t deserve it.
Let his anxiety fester for a hot second. It was the least he could do after keeping such a massive secret from Elm.
Kian deserved it too. Deserved to worry after choosing then of all times to reveal—
Elm froze.
Damn it.
Of course.
He really was such an idiot.
His brother had never been the type to pull back punches. Was even known to both literally and figuratively kick a man when he was down. Elm was stupid for thinking he’d be treated any differently just because they were family.
Hell, it was because they were family that he should have seen the underhanded blow coming in the first place.
“Who do I trust?” he mumbled to himself. If he had to pick a side, absolutely had to, whose would it be?
His brother?
Or his alpha?
If—and that was only if—he chose Levi, then…There had to be a reason he’d never brought Shiloh up to Elm. A reason that had nothing to do with their relationship. Or, perhaps did?
If he thought Elm would misunderstand, that could be a reason not to tell him, couldn’t it? That, plus knowing how sensitive Elm was when it came to comparing himself to the other people in Kian’s life, would be considered more than good enough causes to remain silent in Levi’s mind.
The Leviathan wasn’t chatty. Didn’t waste energy on words he didn’t feel held purpose.
On the flipside to that, Kian tended to be brash. He’d cut someone down with his tongue. Twist things to suit his purpose.
What did Elm know about Shiloh?
Not much.
He’d certainly never heard anything about the other omega having relations with the Leviathan. Surely that was the type of thing everyone would gossip about, even Sky—
Sky.
Sky tried reassuring Elm the reason he was spending so much time with Shiloh was because the guy was going through something. Something horrible involving a kidnapping and a drugging.
When he’d first heard about it, Elm had obviously felt terrible for Shiloh, but now he could relate, even though their circumstances were also vastly different.
They’d both been taken against their will, but while Elm had been drugged with Rebirth, Shiloh had apparently been given a heat inducer and forced into his mating period.
Before being thrown into a locked room with a random alpha.
An alpha who’d also been taken from the streets and had his rut triggered.
Sky had mentioned the alpha Shiloh slept with was someone powerful. Powerful enough to put Kian on edge.
There was only one person Elm knew of that could stand toe to toe against his brother.
Leviathan Morningstar.
“Good Light.” He pushed off the wall and turned, intent on making his way back to the restaurant. He needed to confirm if his theory was accurate.
Then he’d punch both alphas for their deception.
Elm had only just taken a step out of the alley when someone grabbed him. The attack was so sudden, his mind blanked, not even considering fighting back until he found himself tossed into a van.
His head whacked against the opposite sliding door and he cursed, curling in on himself protectively when the two burly men who’d just shoved him into the vehicle climbed in after him.
The door wasn’t even fully shut before the driver sped off.
“Please tell me I’m not seriously being kidnapped again?” Elm groaned and rubbed at the back of his skull, feeling a knot forming.
It was obvious these guys—four in total, including the driver—weren’t White Frost. If they had been, they would have handled Elm more delicately. They weren’t Eumia either, because they would have taken the time to name drop Kian instead of manhandling Elm like a sack of moldy potatoes.
There were two back rows in the van. One of the men joined a guy who’d already been way back there, while the other took the seat next to Elm.
“Quiet,” the man next to him snapped, then added, “Tell us what happened to our guys at the restaurant?”
It took every ounce of restraint not to roll his eyes. “I can’t be quiet and talk at the same time.”
The man’s hand whipped out in a flash, slapping Elm hard across the cheek.
His head whacked into the window of the side door a second time, and Elm growled, anger flaring.
“Oh, is the big scary omega offended?” He laughed, and the other guys joined in, their mingled sounds raucous and grating.
“Hey.” One of the alphas in the back leaned over the seat and patted Elm’s face condescendingly. “Quit glaring. Don’t you realize what kind of situation you’re in?”
“This was the perfect opportunity to take out the Dominus’ of both the White Frost and the Eumia, yet something went down in there. We want to know what,” the first man said. “And before you ask, we’re bringing you somewhere more secluded.”
“We’re going to send pieces of you in tiny boxes to those assholes,” the third guy chimed in boisterously.
They weren’t going to get the chance to do that. Levi and Kian would be on their way already. Elm just had to hold out until they got there.
“You’re him, right?” The first man reached across and tugged on Elm’s turtleneck, revealing one of the claiming bites. “Yeah, you’re him for sure. The new Possessio.”