Page 151 of His Stolen Omega

“I won’t be separated from my alpha,” he stopped him. “As one yourself, you should understand. Would you doubt your feelings for Sky? Or, better yet, do you doubt his feelings for you? Your beginning was arguably as fucked up as mine, brother.”

“Sky and I have known one another for years,” Kian reminded. “We grew up together. You’ve only just met the Leviathan. Do not compare us. We are not the same.”

“That’s a no then. You wouldn’t let anyone tell you to give up your mate. Don’t ask me to walk away from mine.”

“Damn it, Elm, I’m trying to help you here.”

“I don’t need your help,” he said. “I need your understanding. You don’t have to accept us right away, but you have to understand that this is a choice I am making, regardless of whether or not you give your blessing.”

One of the doctors working on Levi extracted a bullet, but the man didn’t so much as flinch, stony face as he stared at them, as if he was afraid Elm would vanish if he blinked.

A trip to Glyph without the alpha was out of the question at this point in their relationship, and frankly, Elm didn’t mind that so much, because he wasn’t too keen on returning yet either.

To what?

Nothing Levi had said to him about his old life had been a lie. Maybe exaggerated to some degree, because Elm had never been as lonely or miserable as the alpha made it sound, but he’d definitely felt dejected and like he was going nowhere. Had watched his friends find their partners and get fulfilling jobs after graduation. Meanwhile, he’d been operating Sky’s studio with him, selling small trinkets as an excuse to keep creating.

Elm had an apartment he’d moved into, but he hated going back to it because there was no one there to greet him. He’d even considered moving back home, had been on the fence about potentially getting a pet instead when he’d found himself kidnapped.

“I’ve never been this happy in my life,” he told his brother. “No one has ever cared for me, listened to me, the way he does. I feel seen for the first time ever. There’s no pressure to measure up to anyone else’s ideal. I don’t worry that someone else will come along and take my place, or be more impressive.”

“Are you blaming me?” Kian asked, but Elm shook his head and reached out to touch his arm.

“No, of course not. My insecurities are my own, always have been. But knowing that doesn’t change the way I felt in the past.”

He sighed. “I thought I was protecting you by keeping you away from the Eumia. If I had known it would come to this, I would have integrated you in.”

Elm let go. “How much do you know?”

“About the day you were taken? We were able to trace your last known location. Sky figured out why you were probably there. He and Shiloh had changed where they were going to meet, but the message you saw was from before that.”

That explained why Elm had been out there waiting and neither of them had shown.

“Our enemies got the wrong intel as well. When they grabbed you, they mistook you for Shiloh.”

“I got that. That’s why they gave me Rebirth.”

“They wanted to trick the Leviathan,” Kian sneered.

“It makes sense that they thought the omega brother would be worth something, whereas the beta one wouldn’t.”

Kian tilted his head.

“What?” Elm didn’t like the glimmer he saw sparkle in his brother’s eyes and braced himself.

“He didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?” His eyes wandered back over to the alpha, and whatever expression was on his face, Levi didn’t like it.

The Leviathan stood, shoving the doctor who’d been working on stitching one of his wounds away when the man protested.

“This is why I didn’t want you involved,” Kian said. “You’re too naïve for this world, Elm.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you really think you’re the only one of my siblings the Leviathan has attempted to seduce?”

“What?” The world seemed to tilt on its axis, but Elm somehow managed to remain standing.