Levi leaned back on his hands, the position relaxed despite the tension between them. "I think i have a clear idea of why you're here".
The alpha must have been jealous by the news that the omega who could have been dead was still alive and kicking.
The words hung in the air, taunting like a fact.
Noah's eyes narrowed, the last patch of uncertainty vanishing, replaced by a storm of conflicting emotions. A low growl rumbled in his chest, a sound Levi recognized as the way alphas exercise their dominance over their opponents. But this time he was experiencing a type B alpha's pheromones first hand.
"You've been talking over me since i walked through that door".
Shock surged through Levi, sharp and cold, cutting through his thoughts of taunting the alpha further.
The air in the room shifted. It was subtle at first but it grew intoxicatingly thick.
The alpha was intentionally releasing pheromones to show who has the power here. While Levi the omega was fighting every instinct not to bare his neck in submission. The omega body wanted to appease the angry alpha who was filling the room with his displeasure.
But even his assassin's discipline couldn't completely override the way his breathing had gone shallow, or the way heat was pooling low in his stomach despite his irritation. He gritted his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he fought against the biology.
It was like trying to hold back a tidal wave. For the first time, he felt truly trapped, not by a physical obstacle, but by the instincts of a body that was not his own.
He could feel the cold, detached assassin side of his mind warring with the furious, humiliated omega. One half of him wanted to stand up and slice the alpha's throat, and the other half was fighting the urge to kneel
'What the hell!!. Is this how other alphas are going to be able to suppress me because of this stupid body's biology?'
Noah's gaze bore into him, his eyes now a swirling mix of possessiveness and something akin to desperation. He watched the involuntary flush spread across Levi's cheeks, the way his pupils dilated. He seemed to sense the internal battle.
His expression softened, the hard lines of his face easing into something like concern. He took a step closer, his scent shifting, trying to soothe the response he had caused.
It was a subtle and almost comforting scent, but Levi was having none of it.
"You have no idea what it feels like to stand there and watch as the last person you thought you could save dies in front of you," Noah's voice was low and dangerous, a whisper that was a thousand times more intimidating than his earlier growl.
"You don't understand". Was Levi scared of the alpha?.
"Do you know what my rut does to an omega body that isn't compatible with a type B."
Levi had finally managed to straighten his spine, though his hands were still shaking. He felt like he had just run a marathon. He looked at Noah with something bordering on disbelief in his eyes. He wasn't afraid of the alpha. He was afraid of the part of himself that wanted to give in to him. What of other type B alphas, would they have control over him too?.
The sudden vulnerability, the raw, unfiltered confession, was a complete tactical curveball. It was not what Levi had expected from the notorious Noah Sterling. This was not the vicious Alpha from the rumors. This was a man haunted.
"Is that why you're here, Noah? To mourn with me?" Levi's voice was sharp, a jab he regretted the moment it left his lips. He saw the flash of hurt in Noah's eyes, quickly hidden, and realized he'd struck a deeper chord than he intended.
Noah took a step forward, his immense presence making the small room feel like a cage. He wasn't aggressive, at least not yet, Levi thought.
"I'm here to make sure you don't end up a statistic. That last omega, she didn't die. She survived the rut, just like you. I thought she was going to make it. A few days later, she... she just gave up. Her body gave out. The incompatibility finally caught up."
Levi's defiance wavered. The thought of surviving the rut only to die later was a chilling one, a more ridiculous end than he had considered. It was a new variable, one his assassin's mind had not accounted for.
"And you think I'm next?" Levi scoffed, but the usual confidence was a little forced.
"I don't think. I need to be sure," Noah said, his voice now even, an order that was anything but gentle. "I've arranged for a specialist at the hospital, they'll run tests. We need to find out why your body is reacting differently, why it survived."
Levi's mind raced. He had no intention of going anywhere with this man. This was a trap, a ploy. The hospital was a way for Noah to control him, to lock him down, to finally get his hands on the rogue omega who'd dared to escape.
It was too convenient, and too kind. And Levi didn't trust kindness, especially not from someone who could kill with a whisper.
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Levi stated, his voice flat and final. "I'm fine. I don't need tests. I don't need a doctor. I don't need you."
The last word hung in the air, an act of defiance so profound that Noah's face hardened, his jaw clenching. The raw, desperate need that had been flickering in his eyes was instantly eclipsed by a possessive darkness.
"Stop," Levi managed to gasp out, the single word a struggle. His voice was a pathetic whisper, choked by a need he refused to acknowledge.
Just as Noah took a step toward him, his hand reaching out, a frantic pounding came from the hotel room door. It wasn't the single, knowing knock from before. It was a series of rapid, desperate hits. The sound was loud enough to break the tense silence.