Page 62 of His Stolen Omega

The corner of his mouth tipped upward. “Because he wanted it.”

Baal frowned. “I don’t understand. He wasn’t given a choice. Rebirth was given to him against his will.”

“He didn’t know there was an actual way to change his presentation, but he’s wished to be something else ever since he presented as a beta. Imagine the internal conflict? A wish fulfilled, but in the most violent and unsettling way. He acts tough and fills the silence with brash comments to hide how he’s really feeling. A part of him thinks he deserves this. Isn’t that funny? Imagine, if we were all held accountable for our deepest, darkest desires, the whole universe would be crushed under the weight of our collective sins.”

Levi had learned a long time ago things like regret and guilt were a waste of energy.

“You could step into a number of our establishments and have your pick of omegas,” Baal said, and to anyone else, it might have sounded like he was changing the subject, but Levi knew better.

“Precisely.”

“Yet this one is special.”

“He’s…” Levi pursed his lips and gave a single, curt shake of his head.

“You’ve been gentle with him.”

“This is hardly the first time I’ve chosen the carrot over the stick method.”

“Last week, he mentioned the two of you cuddled. Have you done so since?”

“No.” The omega immediately rolled over and faced the other direction whenever Levi climbed into bed. If Levi attempted to get closer, he’d move away. It was the only act of defiance he showed now, and since mentioning it would only make Levi look the fool, he hadn’t bothered.

“When his next heat hits, see if he’ll nest again,” Baal suggested.

“What will that show me?”

“Whether or not his instincts still tell him you’re his alpha, even once he’s regulated. My advice? Fuck him and get it out of your system. You know this type of curiosity can lead to obsession, and that never goes well for you. He is Kian’s younger brother, Levi, remember that. Remember what’s at stake here if you cross too many lines.”

He scoffed, finding that ridiculous. “Haven’t I already?”

“If you fall for him—”

“Fall for him?” Levi couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s a physical response, nothing more.”

Baal was quiet for a second and then said, “You’ve never done well with feelings.”

“You see something I don’t?”

“As a mated alpha? Yeah. But are you ready to hear that? I don’t think so. You’re the Leviathan. I’ve seen you scoop out men’s eyeballs and force feed them to their mothers, yet here you are, sharing a bed with a stranger? Tell me, did it even occur to you to make him sleep on the floor?”

“Keeping him calm—”

“Do you really think anyone can be calm under his circumstances? He’s the Leviathan’s captive, and he’s got you breathing down his neck on a daily basis.”

Levi glared. “Believe it or not, most of us aren’t going to fall head over heels for someone over something as insignificant as a sandwich, Baal.”

It was a low blow, bringing the underboss’ mate, and his once obsession, into the conversation, but Levi had passed irritation and landed somewhere around exasperation.

“Watching you stumble over something as simple as this, while entertaining, is a waste of time.” Baal waved at him. “Fuck him. See if it’s really all physical. If it is, getting inside him once will be enough to satisfy your alpha nature. As your second, I have to be prepared for the worst if you can’t let this thing go, and I already have my hands full distracting the Eumia and keeping them off our tail. Rut him, appease your morbid curiosity, then once you’re sure he’s stable give him to Koah. They can work on undoing the pheromone addiction and break the connection he has with you.”

“The General is busy.” Levi had placed Pike in Koah’s…care.

“Then I’ll take him.”

“Excuse me?” Levi straightened in his seat, but his friend didn’t back down.

“He can’t affect me the same way as others since I’m mated,” Baal reminded. “If you want to continue to keep an eye on him, I’ll lock him up somewhere he won’t pose a threat. Somewhere Kian will never find him.”