Page 84 of His Stolen Omega

The studio was spacious, set at the far back of the second floor, surrounded by walls made of glass on three sides, and a pointed sunroof.

“There’s a heating system,” Levi explained when he caught Elm staring up at it. “The metal structure running through it melts the snow so it can’t pile on. That’s why you see all the water droplets.”

It sort of made it look like it was raining, the view from the windows murky. Elm had questions about the space and why it’d been chosen for the studio, but he kept them to himself for now, too busy exploring on his own.

There was a work bench taking up the far wall with all sorts of creative tools organized by type and color. His gaze swept from one end to the other. It started with markers, moved into pastels, colored pencils, and then tubed paints. More paints in larger quantities were stacked in cubicle shelves to the left, where a graphing table was also positioned next to an easel. A pile of blank canvases, already prepared and set out by size to make it easy to find the right one, were tucked into the corner.

To the right, metal cabinets that came up to his hips took up space, sculpting tools set out on top of it in neat order. There was a pottery wheel and a sturdy table with a smooth surface in that area as well.

Elm turned, facing the wall the entrance was set in, the only one made of wood, and stared at the blank space. Aside from a few chairs, there was nothing kept there.

“My mother used to display her work here,” Levi said. “I had it removed.”

“Why?”

“This space is yours now.” He motioned to the cabinets. “There are materials in there. Various clays and such. I know you were trying out stone recently. If you’ve decided to switch to that, I can have some brought in. Just let me know.”

It should bother him more that the alpha had looked into him so thoroughly, but Elm was kind of used to that behavior, what with having grown up with Kian for a brother. The intensity of this interest, however, paired with the kiss they’d just shared, made him nervous.

Levi walked to the table and picked something up, returning to hold it out to Elm.

The sketchbook he’d dropped in the cage had bloodstains over the cover.

He took it anyway.

“You have a talent for drawing,” the alpha said. “Why did you decide to go into sculpting?”

“I like being able to use my hands more,” Elm replied. “There’s something about physically touching and feeling a piece in its entirety that scratches an itch in my brain. With painting, most of it comes down to sight, but with clay I’m utilizing more of my senses. Every curve, every ridge, every smooth surface and divot…I can trace those with my fingers. It’s tangible.”

“Classical music helps me focus. Helps me regulate my emotions and calm my mind.”

“Yeah, it’s exactly like that,” he agreed, understanding where Levi was going. “I’m most myself when I’m working.”

“The sculpture relies on you, as its creator.”

Elm hummed and moved to set the sketchpad back on the table. He went to check out the cabinets. “It’s more like we rely on each other? I have to trust the process. Believe the material will work with me, and together we’ll be able to successfully capture the image I have in my head. Without me, the clay would remain a slab of unmet potential, but without it, I’d just be a guy with ideas and nothing to show for it.”

The cabinets had temperature control settings that varied depending on the type of material inside each segment. Upon discovery, he couldn’t help but be impressed.

“You said your mom was a painter?” he asked as he searched through the products, recognizing the big name brands of some but not others.

“I had this section reimagined and stocked specifically to your needs,” Levi confirmed.

“You did that in a day?” He hadn’t been out after his heat for that long, if the alpha was to be believed.

“Money can buy anything. Even time. The job was rushed, but done well.”

No arguments there.

“That couldn’t have been easy to haul up the stairs.” He pointed to the large kiln in the corner.

“The sky dome was removed so it could be lifted in.”

“Sounds expensive.”

“I didn’t really pay attention to the total.”

Elm straightened and turned to face the alpha. “What are we doing here, Levi?”