Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
STONE
“Let’s get some sleep, Brat.” Levi kisses Sasha on the side of her head, and they shift away from each other as they go to leave the room.
“Levi.” I call his name, stopping them in their tracks.
“What is it, Stone?”
“Can I speak to you for a moment? Alone.” It’s now or never. I need to tell him the feelings I’m having for his beta before we get our omega here, before we form this ragtag pack. I’ve tried to fight the draw to her, but I can’t do it any longer and we don’t need to start our pack with secrets. They always come out in the end and destroy everything in their path.
“Go on up, Sasha. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She hesitates, her eyes glancing over to mine, and I look away. I can’t look at her, not right now, not when I’m about to piss off her mate.
“Okay.” She rises up on her toes, kissing Levi on his lips and a part of me yearns to feel her lips on mine.
Neither of us says a word, waiting for Sasha to leave. I move over to the sink, my eyes gazing out the window, the pale moonlight cutting through the darkness of the room, casting shadows. I don’t turn to face Levi right away, my shoulders stiff, my hands clenched at my sides as I wrestle with the words I’m about to say. If I deliver them in the wrong way, more hell’s going to break loose than I’m already anticipating will.
“What is it, Stone? My woman’s waiting for me. I’m not sure what it is you need to speak to me about that couldn't be done in front of her. Just because she’s a beta doesn’t mean she’s less.”
Fuck, he has no clue. I don’t consider her less. Sasha has more than proven herself. Finally, knowing I can’t put it off any longer, I let out a long exhale and turn around, the sound heavy with frustration and guilt. “Levi,” I begin, my voice low but steady, “there’s something I need to tell you. Something I’ve been holding back, but I can’t do it any longer.”
Levi leans against the edge of the table, using it as a chair, as he raises an eyebrow but says nothing, waiting for me to continue. I feel his dominance flex and the weight of my tone catches his attention, or maybe his curiosity is piqued about what I’ve been keeping from him, which one it is I’m not sure. It could be both.
My jaw tightens and I cross my arms over my chest, as though I’m bracing myself. “It’s about Sasha.”
Levi’s eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt surprisingly. His gaze remains steady, unwavering.
“I—” I pause for a moment as I struggle to find the right words. I let out a humorless chuckle, shaking my head. I’ve got to get it out. Thankfully, I gave them the plan to save Flynn in case Levi kills me once I spit out the truth. “I’ve tried to fight it. Believe me, I have. I didn’t want to feel this way, and I sure as hell didn’t want to complicate things for us... for the pack.”
Levi’s expression remains unreadable, but his silence is heavier now, the tension thick in the room, and my heart races.
“I have feelings for her.” The words spill out like a confession in a cubicle at mass that I can no longer keep locked away. “I’m drawn to her. It’s more than just an attraction. It’s... it’s a pull I can’t ignore, no matter how hard I’ve tried.”
The admission seems to hang in the air, heavy and raw. I nervously run a hand through my hair, pacing a few steps before stopping and meeting Levi’s gaze head-on. “I didn’t want to tell you, not like this. I didn’t want to risk this new bond, our budding friendship. But I can’t keep pretending it’s not there, and I can’t move forward with completing the pack without being honest with you.”
Levi’s jaw tightens, but he still doesn’t speak. His eyes lock on mine, unblinking.
“I don’t know how Sasha feels,” I add quickly, almost defensively. “She might not feel anything for me at all, and if that’s the case, I’ll accept it. But I need your permission to talk to her. To tell her how I feel.”
I step closer to Levi, stopping only when I’m standing right in front of him. My voice is softer now, but no less determined. “I respect you, Levi. You’re going to be my brother in every way that matters, and I’d never go behind your back. But I can’t keep this to myself anymore. If you tell me no, if you tell me this is a line I can’t cross, I’ll drop it. I swear. But I had to tell you.”
I stand before him, my heart pounding in my chest, waiting for his response. The tension in the room is palpable, the air thick with the weight of my words, Levi’s lack of response, and the emotions boiling to an explosion point between us.
* * *
LEVI
I lean against the table, watching Stone struggle to get the words out. My arms cross over my chest as I wait, my patience thinning with each passing second. My little brat is upstairs waiting for me, and all I want is to hold her, maybe tease her a bit, before we fall asleep.
When he finally says it—when the words leave his mouth—it’s like the air in the room thickens, pressing down on my chest.
His confession leaves me momentarily stunned. Sasha. My Sasha. My mark is on her thigh, my scent on her skin. She’s mine.
I should have seen this coming. Only a fool wouldn’t want her. She’s strong, fiercely independent, and sexy as hell. But knowing that doesn’t make it easier to hear.
I take a deep breath, trying to keep my face neutral. Inside, though? Stone’s words rattle around in my head, tangling with my own insecurities. I planned to be a pack with him—we didn’t have much of a choice, not when we share an omega. But Sasha? Sasha wasn’t planned. My instincts scream at me that Sasha is only mine. My beta.
“Define ‘pull to her,’” I say, my voice low, steady. It’s a loaded question, and we both know it.
Stone hesitates, and for a moment, I wonder if he’s going to lie to me. “Are you Kismet?” I ask, my jaw tightening.
I shouldn’t care. It shouldn’t matter. But damn it, part of me already feels the sting, the bitterness of knowing everyone seems to get to be Kismet to my little brat but me.
“No, it’s not Kismet,” he says, his voice steady, though I can see the tension in his shoulders. “It’s just an attraction like I’ve never felt before. She’s magnetic, Levi. I tried not to worry or think about it because she’s your beta. But now we live together, share an omega, and are going to be a pack. I didn’t want to risk the friendship we’re building or the pack we’re about to have. The pack can’t work with two alphas at odds. I had to tell you.”
I let his words sink in, the honesty in them. He’s not trying to sugarcoat it or backpedal. He’s laying it all out there, raw and unfiltered.
“I respect that,” I say after a moment, though the words feel heavy on my tongue. “So if anything, it’s Luminary.”
I start pacing, trying to make sense of what he’s just told me. Can I share Sasha? Would she even want that? Should I be the one answering that for her? My little brat isn’t one to let someone else dictate her choices.
She accepted Flynn so easily—well, maybe not easily. She panicked, got scared. But she never said no. She trusted me to figure things out, to make the right call for us. I owe her that same courtesy now. It’s what lovers do.
“You need to tell her,” I finally say, stopping my pacing to face him. “I won’t stand in the way if it’s something she wants. But make no mistake, Stone—she is mine. She wears my mark, and I wear hers. If you hurt her, Kismet omega be damned, I will kill you. If you even think about marking her before she’s ready, I will fucking kill you.”
Stone nods, his expression serious. “I wouldn’t do that. Like I said, I don’t even know if she feels the same. But I didn’t want to start this pack with secrets and lies. You two deserve more than that. Flynn deserves more than that.”
“Okay,” I say, running a hand through my hair. My head feels like it’s spinning, and my chest aches with a mix of emotions I can’t untangle right now. “I’m gonna go shower. I need to wrap my mind around what I just agreed to.”
“Night,” Stone says, his voice quieter now.
I start to walk away, my steps heavy, but then he calls after me.
“Levi.”
“Yeah?” I turn back, my hand resting on the doorframe.
“Thank you. Thank you for letting me become a pack so easily with you and thank you for what you just did.”
“No problem, man,” I say, though the words feel hollow.
I leave the room, heading for the bathroom. The weight of the conversation presses down on me, and all I want is a boiling-hot shower to clear my head. Alone. Just for a moment.