Conan Moss

When I finished washing my face, the first thing I saw was that stupid fucking jar of face cream sitting on the table like it had a purpose in my life. I picked it up, glaring at it, trying to decide whether chucking it into the trash or smearing it across a mirror would be more satisfying.

I didn't trust Rebecca—or anything that came from her perfectly manicured claws.

I was just about to find a way to discreetly get rid of it when that woman from this morning strolled in like she owned the place. The one who had started a fight at the table like we were living in some trashy drama series. Her smug expression made my skin crawl.

"Oh, Conan," she purred. "I saw that Levi was just with Rebecca. Are you going to go look for them?"

What?

Who even was she? And why was she still breathing the same air as me?

"No," I said flatly.

"Oh?" She raised a brow like she was the lead actress in some daytime soap. "It's not me who's talking, it's everyone else. You're the one who's mated to my nephew, and yet he hangs out with that vixen all day. You have no sense of crisis."

I gave her a long look. No sense of crisis? Lady, I am the crisis.

"You have to have some omega tricks to make Levi all yours," she added with a wink, like we were just two girls chatting over tea.

Delusional. Absolutely delusional.

Did she not understand that I didn't want Levi? That I had no choice but to be here?

"What would I even do?" I asked, mostly out of morbid curiosity.

"Well, first cry," she said with a straight face. "Then make a scene. Maybe put yourself in harm's way—he'll come running. Men love a damsel in distress, wolf or not." She flipped her hair like that was supposed to seal her brilliance. "If I were you, I'd smack that girl's face to pieces. Nobody likes a woman who steals men."

So she was that type. The kind who stirs chaos from the shadows and pretends it's kindness. She wanted me to cause a scene—not to win Levi's attention, but for her own entertainment. I could see it clear as day. If I blew up, it wouldn't be Levi that suffered—it'd be me. Humiliated, isolated, and probably sent back with a label slapped on me like troublemaker omega.

"No need for all that," I said coolly, shaking my head. "Why bother in pack business like that? I'm not interested. I'm already satisfied with where I'm at. If he wants to play, let him play. I don't think it's your business."

Her smile twisted into something ugly. Her cheeks turned a furious shade of red.

"What a fool," she hissed. "A poor person in a good position can still act so humble. Even the least desirables have some self-respect. You don't deserve love from any man. I'll leave the solution to you."

Finally. "Thank you," I said, just to get her to leave.

But of course she didn't.

"Did you buy this face cream?" she asked suddenly, snatching it right out of my hand like she was entitled to it.

"One of Levi's friends brought it back. I don't understand why though," I replied, watching her carefully.

"This is just for moisturizing," she said, examining the jar like it was gold. "Look at your little bright face. What moisturizer do you even need? You shouldn't be wasting it on yourself like this."

Wasting it on myself, huh?

Let's see her not waste it.

"Let auntie take it off your hands," she said sweetly.

Perfect. Now I didn't even have to throw it out.

"This..." I hesitated on purpose.

"Ah, come on, Conan," she pressed. "I also gave you some good tips on how you can finally seduce Levi."

She actually believed that garbage she said was useful.

"Okay then. You can take it," I said with a shrug. "If it's useless on me, there's no point in hoarding it."

"No problem, no problem," she giggled, scurrying off with her prize like she'd won the lottery.

That whole conversation was infuriating. First, because everyone kept assuming I actually wanted to be with Levi, when I couldn't be less interested. And second—because people still talked to me like I was a fucking idiot just because I was an omega.

Like that aunt.

Let them think I'm dumb. When I really pull something off, it'll be the stuff of legends. I just have to get out of here first.

—

Later, I walked into the room they'd assigned me and dropped onto the edge of the bed. I was still mad, but the thought of freedom and revenge calmed me down.

Then, of course, the door to the attached bathroom opened.

And Levi walked out.

Wearing only a towel.

My brain stopped functioning for a solid five seconds. The guy looked like he was carved out of marble—lean waist, strong shoulders, not a shred of fat on him. He was glowing like some kind of forbidden fruit commercial, his skin still damp, muscles flexing as he adjusted the towel.

Holy shit, I thought.

I covered my eyes and turned away instantly. "I saw nothing."

"What're you doing in my room?" he yelped.

"This is the room I was assigned to," I said, refusing to look again. "I'll sleep on that couch there or something. I didn't know you were naked."

He grabbed his clothes or something behind me. "What do you want?"

"The face cream was taken by your aunt. Apparently I don't need it," I said. Not that I gave a shit about the cream, but I wanted my tracks clean just in case anything happened.

"I'll buy you a new set later," Levi offered.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't like beauty products. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a fucking girl," I hissed. "I don't like flowery shit, I don't like cosmetics, and I hate vanity."

"Well... okay then," he said awkwardly.

I stood up and walked out, leaving him to change in peace.

Fucking idiot.

⸻

I was sitting outside, perched on the stone bench beneath the ivy-covered archway, reading The 48 Laws of Power—my favorite book and the only thing I managed to bring with me from home. Honestly, it's the only reason I haven't lost my mind yet. That book isn't jusr philosophy; it's basically the blueprint for survival in a place like this.

And it's been working. Slowly. Strategically.

As I'd predicted, I woke up this morning with two big rashes blooming across my face—right where Levi had smeared that so-called "face cream." Luckily, I'd washed it off before bed, so it didn't get too deep. Still irritated like hell, though. And I couldn't help but wonder how auntie was doing.

Maybe her face melted.

"You damn omega!" I heard her screech, followed by a dull thunk as something hit the back of my head. I turned just in time to see the infamous jar of face cream roll to a stop at my feet.

"Did you poison this shit? Look at my face!"

Aunt Mabel stormed over, grabbed my shoulder, and spun me around like I was a ragdoll.

She gasped—loud and dramatic—and I couldn't help but gasp too. Purely out of reflex. Damn. Her face and neck were covered in angry, red splotches. Way worse than mine. She looked like she'd fallen face-first into a beehive.

"Auntie, you have a rash too?" I asked, eyes wide in mock concern. "I felt it burning, so I washed off the bit I did use, but I still woke up like this! I didn't expect that we were both allergic to it."

"You foolish boy! What allergies?!" she snapped, pulling me closer like we were now comrades in pain. "This is clearly a poisoning attempt! Tell me the truth, Conan. Who sent these to you? Was it that Rebecca girl?"

I paused—just enough to let the suspense thicken.

"...How did you know?"

Her eyes lit up with fury and vindication. "I knew it was that dirty bitch! All of Levi's friends are men! How could he know about cosmetics?! She wants to hurt you! Look at your face! This can't be forgiven!"

Right on cue, I heard Levi's voice behind us. "What are you yelling about now, Aunt Mabel?"

"You've come at the right time!" she shrieked, yanking me by the arm and spinning us both to face him. Levi's eyes landed on me—and to his credit, he did gasp.

"Look at your mate's face! He's the one you should be treating like a treasure, but look at what you let that whore do!"

Levi's expression changed fast—his usual casual indifference hardening into something cold. "You think just because you're my aunt, you can slander Rebecca however you want and I won't say anything? She's a weak woman. She wouldn't hurt a fly. How could she hurt you?"

Shit.

Blind loyalty. Wasn't expecting that. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell that Rebecca was no fragile flower. When I carried her to the porch yesterday, her glare had murder written all over it.

"She's pretending in front of you because she knows your IQ isn't even equivalent to a three-month-old pig!" Auntie screamed. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

"She keeps deceiving you, and you fall for it every damn time. Shameless behavior—calling you away during a mating ceremony and making you ignore this nice young boy with a life ahead of him!" She clutched my shoulder. "I care about our family's reputation just as much as Conan does, and let me tell you—the face cream you delivered to us did this! Do you think this rash just appeared!?"

"Your face rash might just be an allergy!" Levi snapped back. "This is blackmail!"

"As long as you don't bring up Rebecca in this, I'll give you some money to fix your face," he added, pulling out his credit card like it was some kind of magic wand.

Wow.

Devotion so blinding, he was ready to pay hush money to the one person defending me.

"Look at that. He's willing to spend a fortune on his mistress," Auntie sneered, snatching the card from him like a pro pickpocket. "Conan is turning out to be a really pitiful character."

Then she walked off—leaving me to absorb the fallout like some leftover mess.

Well, shit.

⸻

"What is this place?" I asked dryly as Levi marched me across the pack compound.

"You've never been to the pack doctor?" he asked, like that was a ridiculous question.

"I didn't know the pack had one," I said truthfully. "I always nursed my injuries myself. I was always told we couldn't afford hospital bills and there wasn't a doctor around anyway. Are you sick?"

He huffed. "Why would I be here for myself? I'm bringing you. You've got rashes all over your face."

"Why? Looking for Rebecca? Did her scratch get infected?" I asked, only half-joking.

Levi growled under his breath and shoved me into a room.

Inside, a beta sat in a chair, clipboard in hand. A little safer than usual.

Levi pushed me into the seat, and the doctor got to work immediately, scraping my skin for a sample. I kept my eyes anywhere but Levi—his pheromones were boiling over with frustration, and the smell was starting to sting.

After a few minutes, the doctor looked up, frowning.

"This wasn't an allergy," he said flatly. "What the hell did you put on your face—industrial strength cleaner?"

"Just some face cream," I muttered.

"You need to throw that out immediately. I don't know any good product with that much chlorine in it. Bring it back here for testing if you can. There's a bunch of other weird chemicals in there too."

Yeah, right. Like I was going to hand over the only physical evidence tying Rebecca to a possible chemical attack. That card's staying in my back pocket for now.

"No need, doctor. Just give me the medicine," I said.

The doctor nodded and scribbled something. "If the rashes don't clear up in three days, come back. Pick this up at the pharmacy."

"Thanks," I said, standing. Levi didn't move. He just... looked at me. Like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

Was he feeling bad? Guilt wasn't really his style.

"You should get your hand checked out," I said, raising a brow. "The cream touched your skin too."

His face turned red. He looked away quickly. "Sh-shut up!"

I grinned to myself as I walked out.

Fucking idiot.