Page 145 of His Stolen Omega

“No,” he shook his head, “it’s fine. I’m just being weird.”

“You spent months locked up in the basement there,” the alpha stated. “Your reaction is perfectly normal. Why don’t we skip the main house? That used to belong to my parents. I was given my own smaller home on the other side of the property.”

Maybe starting somewhere fresh, somewhere that didn’t have any negative connotations attached to it, was a smart idea.

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Elm agreed.

“Wook, once we arrive, call the estate and have them prepare Frost Palace,” Levi instructed his secretary.

Elm snorted. “You would have a place named that.”

“You can change it if you like.”

“It’s fine. Who doesn’t want to live in a palace?”

Levi pondered that a moment. “It’s not quite as large as the lodge. Perhaps—”

“I was joking, alpha. I’m sure it’s more than enough for two people to coexist. How long will it take for us to get to the meeting point?”

“Another hour and a half, Possessio,” Wook answered before Levi could.

Elm rested his head on the alpha’s shoulder. “Could you do that thing that I like? I didn’t sleep at all last night. My nerves were shot. I think a nap will help.”

Levi released targeted soothing pheromones and purred.

Chapter 34:

“You’re sure about this?” Elm pressed against the patch they’d placed over his nape.

“If you don’t want him to find out about your change yet, the patch will help hide your presentation. He won’t pick up on your pheromones,” Levi explained for the third time. “But only if we’re quick about this.”

“And this isn’t a clever way of rushing my meeting with my brother?”

“I put an extra patch in your left inner pocket. If it stretches longer than a half hour, we can go to the bathroom and apply a new one.”

“Kian is so not going to like the two of us taking a bathroom break together.” Elm sighed, realizing it was that or nothing. “He really can’t know, not yet. It’s going to be hard enough to convince him as is.”

“Won’t he understand better?” Levi disagreed. “He knows how biology works. You being a dominant omega makes mating with me make sense.”

“He’ll think you’re forcing me.”

“I did force you.”

“Not the bite,” he corrected. “To stay. Whatever.” He motioned toward the restaurant. “Let’s just go.”

The meeting point Kian had decided on was a popular restaurant on the west side of the capital city. It was a fancy joint with a view overlooking a frozen lake and valets at the doors. They had to give their names to confirm their party, and then were led into a massive seating area decorated with crystal and gold light fixtures.

“I can see why we’re dressed up now,” he leaned in and whispered to Levi as they followed the hostess deeper into the restaurant. “But where is everyone?”

All of the tables were empty. Staff stood off to the side, as well as a few men in black, but there weren’t any other patrons.

“Mr. Erskine rented us out for the afternoon,” the hostess explained, but Elm only partially heard her.

At a center table, facing the entrance, Kian was waiting.

Elm darted forward before he realized, gasping when a hand whipped out and hauled him back. He let out a tiny growl, glaring up at the alpha, but Levi’s gaze was fixed on Kian, that dangerous half-smirk in place.

The hostess waved at the table, bowed, and then left them to it.