Chapter 13 #2
Or like he’d just realized his Dominus was a loon.
“You lock all your dominant omegas up?” Elm asked, for lack of a better thing to say. He just knew he wanted to break this weird tension in the air. It was starting to frazzle his nerves.
“Only the valuable ones,” Levi said.
Elm refused to believe that feeling in his chest was excitement.
He did not need compliments from this twisted, evil alpha.
The guy was merely calling to his insecurities, those old wounds of feeling average coming back to haunt him yet again by making him enjoy hearing that someone found him special.
Good Light. He’d really hit an all-time low hadn’t he?
“Only you,” Levi continued. “And I’ll continue to do so.
Since you can’t yet control your pheromones, the staff will be dismissed for the time being.
You and I will work on teaching you how to activate and suppress your pheromones, just the two of us.
When I’m present, you’ll be allowed to move about indoors freely.
When I’m needed elsewhere, you’ll return to the cage.
It took a week apart for you to slip back into feral territory. ”
“Don’t.” Elm hated the snap of panic, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek as soon as the refusal rushed out.
“I won’t stay away that long again,” Levi reassured. “You have my word.”
“That’s supposed to mean something to me? I’m just meant to trust you on it?”
“Yes, because I’m going to be holding you to your word shortly. So long as you don’t break your promises, I won’t break mine.”
“Do I have a say in this? You’re giving him ample opportunity to either drive a knife through your chest, or attempt another escape,” Baal stated. He motioned to the kitchen. “There are plenty of tools here he could use to kill you.”
“He won’t,” Levi sounded so sure.
“Won’t I?” Elm wouldn’t, but only because the alpha was right about him being a danger to society. Whether he liked it or not, he’d already come to the conclusion that he needed the White Frost’s aid.
There was also the issue of never having taken a life before, but Elm was confident he could move past that if push came to shove.
He’d certainly never wanted to kill someone as badly as he did these people.
“No,” Levi stated. “Because every defiant act will be returned. If you attempt to harm me, it’ll earn three times the pain you intended to deliver. Give me a papercut? I’ll slice off a finger. Try to run? I’ll break an ankle. Do you get the point, omega?”
Elm couldn’t keep his look of disgust off his face.
“You do.” The alpha smiled again. “Good.”
“If you’re willing to go to those extremes, why not just do it now?” Elm asked. “Break my leg and prevent me from—”
“Not yours,” Levi cut him off. “The Runner’s.”
“I—”
“I’ll be more specific. The Runner of the Eumia.”
Elm sucked in a breath.
“Pike Uridge.” He motioned to Baal who tapped on his multi-slate and walked over.
Elm didn’t want to, but he looked as soon as the underboss turned the screen his way.
Shortly after Kian had returned to Glyph, he’d assigned one of his most trusted men to guard over Elm.
He’d complained at first, saying it interfered with his daily life, but secretly Elm had enjoyed feeling special.
Had liked the attention. The alpha assigned to him had been attractive and interesting.
Hadn’t stopped him from going to parties or staying out late.
They’d come together under orders, but now, Elm considered them friends.
And his friend was currently strapped to a wooden beam, face broken and bloody.
The underboss took a step back, but Elm shot forward, grabbing onto the device, zooming in to get a better look.
Pike was shirtless, and there were bruises all over his chest, a deep wound on his side. His lip was split in two places, and his nose was crooked. He hung by his arms, head slumped forward slightly, indicating he was unconscious.
Unconscious, because he couldn’t be dead. Elm refused to even consider that.
“You—” A million curses were on the tip of his tongue, but the second he turned to glare at Levi, they all died in an instant.
The alpha wasn’t smiling anymore. His eyes, vibrant silver orbs, were glowing slightly, and his hands had fisted on the table, knuckles bone white and looking about to pop.
The aura around him had also shifted, no longer confident and steady, his anger almost palpable in the way his pheromones flicked and swirled in the air.
He didn’t lash out with them, but the threat was there, in the stiff set of his shoulders and the tight clench of his jaw.
Elm swallowed the lump that’d formed in his throat, hand, still holding the multi-slate, dropping to his side.
For a brief moment, he’d allowed himself to forget. Even knowing what this was, who this was, he’d gotten swept up in the false ease and comfort. Had allowed himself to be placated with a warm bath and bed. Runny eggs and crisp bacon.
Baal was right.
He had no survival instincts at all.
And now Pike was going to be the one who paid the price for it.
“Do we have an understanding, omega?” Levi asked, voice dark, threaded with a warning every fiber of Elm’s being screamed at him not to ignore. “Or should I cut to the chase and break—”
“No.” He shook his head vehemently. “No. I understand.” Elm dug his finger nails into his palms. “Alpha.”