It was Mrs. Quinn who recovered first, her maternal programming overriding her shock. The actress in her found a new role to play.
She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, voice cracking loud enough for every microphone to catch.
"Levi?!!" she cried, thick with sudden, desperate relief. "Oh, thank heavens you're alive! We thought you were dead!"
Levi tilted his head slightly, wearing an expression that skillfully masked his exhaustion. He knew this was going to be long.
"Mom" The single word hung in the air, neither welcoming nor hostile, just... acknowledging.
He didn't move toward her, nor did he display any of the desperate relief a traumatized omega would typically show upon seeing his family.
Mr. Quinn's reaction was faster, sharper, his carefully constructed grief cracking to reveal something uglier underneath. His voice rose, cutting over his wife's relief with the kind of aggressive authority that spoke to years of using volume to control.
