Page 22 of His Stolen Omega

“Because if you don’t,” Fiora clicked a few more buttons on her device, “you’ll have to be euthanized.”

Oh.

So definitely not reassuringly.

Fantastic.

“Despite what you psychopaths believe, I’m not actually a lab rat.” He set his sights back on Levi. “My brother will come for me. He’ll find me eventually. I meant it before. Just let me go, and I promise I won’t so much as utter your name ever again. He’ll never know.”

Levi was quiet for a moment, then maintaining eye contact, ordered Fiora, “Show him.”

She sighed and hit a side button on her multi-slate, activating a projection. It shot up and expanded showing a holographic screen a foot long and almost as tall. Images played across it, sound echoing clearly from the dual speakers.

Two alphas were tearing into each other, using tooth and nail, like wild animals. Blood smeared across white floors and walls, and as soon as the slightly smaller male shook out of the other’s hold, he grabbed a blaster off the ground and opened fire. He didn’t stop until the entire clip had been emptied.

“What is that?” Elm figured there had to be a reason they were showing it to him.

“What happens when a weakling catches scent of you in heat,” Levi stated. In the video, the man was tasered by someone off screen, then the footage ended abruptly. “These were two of the soldiers who came with me to the warehouse where you were discovered.”

“I guess this confirms your hypothesis that he doesn’t remember anything about that night,” Fiora said to the alpha.

Elm took a shaky breath. “What does she mean?”

“Those idiots who turned you had no signs of being feral, and while you were potent, it seemed within normal dominant omega ranges,” Fiora began. “But as soon as the Dominus carried you out, that changed. We believe close contact with a dominant alpha was what triggered it.”

“Six of my guys had to be put down like dogs then and there,” Levi said, and there was a thread of displeasure in his tone. “These two seemed fine until we returned. Then they snapped.”

“At least they only went for each other. The ones outside the fishery attacked the Leviathan trying to get to you,” Fiora elaborated.

“So you killed them?” Elm scowled. “Your own people? Just like that?”

The corner of Levi’s mouth twitched.

“You did the job together, actually.” Fiora shrugged when his gaze whipped over to her. “Supposedly, when you saw them coming, you attacked with your pheromones. They dropped, in enough agony to keep them distracted, giving the Dominus enough time to draw his weapon and put them out of their misery.”

“I…” Elm couldn’t unpack all of that now, while in their presence. “I don’t remember any of that, but even if I did use aggressive pheromones against them, that doesn’t mean they had to die!”

“They attacked me,” Levi reminded.

“Yeah, but you’re saying that was my fault, not theirs.”

“If they’d been left alive, they would have kept trying,” Fiora said. “The scent of a dominant omega like you can be addicting. Even if they didn’t develop a craving for it, they most definitely would have run their mouths about you.”

And these two were hellbent on keeping Elm’s existence a secret.

“Still. They were one of you. They were White Frost. Is this how you treat your own people? As expendables?”

“You’re more valuable than a handful of soldiers who weren’t even strong enough to fend off an omega in heat,” Levi replied crassly.

Elm frowned. “Every life is valuable.”

“Not like your brother after all.” His gaze sharpened when Elm winced. “A sore spot?”

“Fuck you.”

“Control your emotions.” Levi’s hand tightened in warning for a few seconds before loosening. “Know your place, omega. And stop,” he closed his eyes and inhaled as though seeking patience, “fighting my pheromones.”

Had Elm been fighting them?