Page 25 of His Stolen Omega

Levi left them to their banter. They could talk about this until the sun set and rose again, it wouldn’t make any difference. Neither of them got to decide what happened to the synthetic omega once his usefulness had run its course. That was entirely up to Levi, and he had yet to come to a decision.

Killing him and destroying the body was the smartest play. Elm Erskine was dangerous for a couple of reasons, from his unstable pheromones, to his connection to the Eumia. It didn’t matter if he held no place amongst their rival’s ranks, being the younger brother of Kian was already a mark against him.

Levi wasn’t the type to allow the enemy to slip from his grasp, especially not with their lives.

Still, it felt like a shame to snuff out such an impressive specimen. Dominant omegas were a little rarer than dominant alphas, and in all his years, Levi had never encountered one as strong as Elm Erskine, not even Fenrir.

Was it random?

Did the drug target something within the individual, or was it luck of the draw? If Erskine had presented as an omega naturally, would he have been as powerful, or would he have been another omega, unremarkable like all the rest? These were questions it was almost impossible to get answers to, especially with only the one test subject, but Levi couldn’t help but be curious about them all the same.

The genetic research conducted at the Wardrobe had been collected, but Levi hadn’t found the time to read through it all himself, opting to leave that sort of thing to his team. Now that he had a synthetic of his own, however, it’d be best to get up to date on all there was to know.

The most effective way to control something was by learning about it and understanding it. The synthetic felt clear revulsion toward everyone else’s pheromones, but even though he didn’t have the same adverse reaction to Levi, he fought against him.

They’d start there.

The sooner he mastered the synthetic’s cooperation, the faster they could move things along. While he was confident he could throw Kian off their tracks for the time being, there was no way of knowing for certain how long they could keep it up, and Baal was right. If the Dominus of the Eumia ever discovered what was being done to his precious brother, the results would be mayhem and bloodshed.

“Prepare a contingency plan,” Levi ordered Baal, realizing what he had to do, whether he was on the fence about it or not. The White Frost came first. Art second. “I want to be able to erase him at any given moment.”

He’d get the synthetic in line, they’d collect the rest of their data, then Levi would dispose of him. Yes, it was a pity to destroy such a perfect dominant omega, but that was Elm Erskine’s lot in life.

He only had being the brother of Kian to blame.

* * *

The restaurant was packed, chatter almost drowning out the classical music that drifted through the air. There were too many smells—pheromones and perfume and savory food—and it was starting to give Levi a headache.

He cut into his steak calmly, giving no hint at his personal discomfort, as the man across from him filled the silence between them with this or that.

Oberon King, also known as the Purse, sawed into his own food with more haste, already a full glass of wine in. A man born to a massive fortune, he was no less impeccably dressed than Levi, though he kept the collar of his crisp white shirt open to ensure the mark where his neck met his shoulder was visible. He was the alpha in the relationship, but his mate, Fenrir, had bitten him in return, a thing Oberon was always proud to show off.

Personally, Levi didn’t understand the appeal. He would never allow anyone to claim any type of ownership over what belonged to him, and his body was top of that list.

“The Wild Hunt is taking place soon, I imagine Baal and Koah are busy taking leave requests,” Oberon said. “Any chance you’ll be entering this year?”

Levi gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head in the negative, knowing the other alpha was merely trying to get a rise out of him.

The Wild Hunt was held once a year by the government, used to encourage mating. Alphas and omegas agreed to lengthy terms and conditions and willingly gave up control to partake in a primal chase through the wilderness.

“When was the last time you ran?” Oberon snickered. “I don’t think I’ve seen you even do more than a jog on the treadmill at the gym.”

“That’s what soldiers are for.” He paid people to do that sort of thing for him. If something needed to be hunted down, he’d send the White Frost to do the chasing.

“You’re the calmest alpha I’ve ever met.” Oberon set his wine glass down, the easy set of his shoulders tensing some. “Company. Four o’clock.”

The steak was overcooked.

“Kian, fancy seeing you here,” Oberon greeted their rival cheerfully. “If I’d known you were visiting the planet, I would have sent you a welcome gift.”

The restaurant was located in the center of the city, a well-known establishment celebrities and other people considered important in society visited. Because of that, there were a slew of reporters that practically lived on the lawn. It hadn’t been hard to guess at least one of them was in the Eumia’s pocket.

Levi took a small sip from his glass, then placed it down and cut himself another—overcooked—bite, not bothering to even glance in the other Dominus’ direction.

Kian had the same inky black hair as his younger brother, but his eyes were a vivid blue. He was taller, but they both had broad shoulders, and if they’d been standing next to each other, they could pass as blood siblings despite the minor differences.

He wasn’t alone, one of his high standing members was with him. Pike, also an alpha. The man was known for his street smarts and ability to locate proverbial needles in haystacks. It wasn’t surprising that he’d come along, but it did make the importance of this “accidental” meeting skyrocket.