Levi Dunham

I messed up.

I messed up so fucking bad.

If anyone finds out that I imprinted on that omega the second I saw him, I'll be the joke of every pack across the damn country. And it wasn't just a light imprint, either. It hit me like a goddamn freight train—just one look and my instincts were clawing at me. But that's not supposed to happen. Not with him.

Look at today—look at this whole damn mating ceremony. He was supposed to be the center of attention, but he stood there, alone, like a goddamn ghost. Didn't speak. Didn't smile. Didn't even blink half the time. The room moved around him like he didn't exist.

And I didn't speak up. I could've said something. I didn't.

Why would I? All he wants is the title. He's probably already planning to pull some omega trick and get pregnant so I'm stuck for life.

That's how these things go, right?

His family—fuck, his family couldn't wait to throw him under the bus. Everyone had something to say. All day, people came up to me like I was a martyr for even considering this mating. You deserve better, they all said. Better than a filthy omega. The whispers followed me everywhere—how he was probably used up, how omegas were nothing more than toys.

His sister Esme? She told me flat-out to sell him off once I'd used him. Said not to expect much—"he's not worth it."

His mom? Told me I could do whatever I wanted with him.

And his dad? That man looked relieved to hand him over like an unwanted parcel.

What kind of omega makes people act like that?

What did my parents see in this kid? Why did they insist on this arrangement?

All I could think walking down that aisle was: He's only going to bring us down.

—

I opened the door to the bridal suite and stepped inside.

The room was overly decorated—rose petals scattered across the floor and the bed, soft lighting, satin sheets. One bed, big enough for two, the entire scene prepared for a night of steaming, animalistic consummation.

Gross.

There was no fucking way I was touching him. That's the trap. Grandpa warned me about omegas—they reel you in, act all fragile, and then before you know it, they're wrapped around your life like a parasite.

The omega walked in quietly behind me. Not a sound. He sat on the couch without looking around, hands moving to loosen his tie. He looked exhausted—no, more like... gone. Like his soul had checked out hours ago.

"Hello!" The maid burst in carrying extra blankets, startling both of us. "I'll be serving you guys in the future. If you need anything, just let me know."

The omega looked up and smiled—a fake one. It didn't reach his eyes. "Then I'll be troubling you in the future, Emma."

What a faker.

"Are you hungry?" she asked him kindly.

"I'm not hungry."

"But—"

"He said he isn't hungry," I snapped, sharp and loud. Both of them flinched. "Get out."

The maid lowered her head and left without a word.

I turned to him.

"Listen here, omega. Even though we're supposed to be mated or whatever, let's make a few things very clear. If my mom hadn't forced me to do this by holding pack leadership over my head, we wouldn't even be breathing the same air," I hissed at him.

Cue the begging.

Instead, he smiled. But this time, the smile was real. His whole face lit up with something that looked dangerously close to relief.

What the fuck?

"That's great!" he said brightly. "So you did this against your will as well! I completely understand, I don't have control over my own life either. I thought I was the only uncomfortable one."

"What?" I blinked. Uncomfortable? I made him uncomfortable?

"Ah, what I mean is, I don't give a fuck what you do. I don't give a shit about you or your friends or your family or your pack. I'm fine with just having a roommate that doesn't bother me," he said as he kicked off his shoes. "Your dad bought me, so I assume you already know we have to pretend in front of him, but let's not do more than necessary. You don't have to give a shit about me either. Oh, and I'd prefer it if no one touched me."

His mouth. So vulgar.

Weren't omegas supposed to be soft-spoken? Seductive? Manipulative, sure, but not like this.

Why the hell was he so happy I rejected him?

"You're pretty self-aware. You better remember what you said here today," I warned, my voice cold.

"Or what?" he taunted without hesitation.

"You think I won't beat you up?" I snapped, stepping closer.

"You won't," he said, cool as ever. "Just from this conversation I've gathered that you can't go against your parents or else they'll take away pack leadership, which it seems you want desperately. They've told you not to hurt me and to be nice," he shot a glare at me. "If I get hurt, it's your ass. If you hurt me, it's your ass."

"I knew you were scheming!"

"I'm just an omega that was bought by your family. I need to protect myself," he replied.

"Protect yourself?" I scoffed. "From me?"

"So you didn't just threaten to fuck me up?" he rolled his eyes. "You've also filled the room with hostile pheromones, and I'm clearly at a disadvantage since you sent the only person who your parents ordered to help me out of the room. I have no choice but to protect myself from all you alphas."

"Excuse me?"

"Because you have no morals. I'm not very keen on being sold again," he growled. "Let's agree to stay out of each other's way."

Fuck him.

Who the hell did this omega think he was?

"If you do disgraceful shit behind my back, I'll make you live a life worse than death," I hissed through clenched teeth.

"Couldn't be any fucking worse than now, could it?" he shot back without missing a beat.

That stung. Harder than it should've.

Why's he like this? Why isn't he groveling? Why isn't he obsessed with me? Isn't that how omegas are supposed to act when they meet their alpha?

Was this one... defective?

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

Rebecca.

Shit.

I completely forgot about her. My parents had refused to invite her to the ceremony. My mate—my actual omega—was supposed to be her, not this one.

I answered immediately. "Hello?"

"Hey, Levi, I'm a bit sick," Rebecca's voice came through the line, raspy and soft. She coughed a few times.

"I'll be right over!" I said quickly, panic flaring in my chest. I turned toward the door, reaching for my jacket—

But the omega was already holding it out to me.

"What the fuck?"

"Don't you have shit to do? Bye," he said, tossing it into my hands like it was nothing.

He wasn't even going to ask me to stay?

I was leaving him on the night of our mating ceremony. The night. The night every omega dreams of.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

I grabbed my jacket and shook off the bizarre thoughts clawing at the edge of my mind.

Rebecca needed me.

And this omega?

He could rot.

———-

So Rebecca wasn't really sick.

I should've known. I should've recognized the setup the second I stepped through the door of her family's den and saw both her and Charlie waiting for me. No one else. Just the two of them sitting there like they'd staged a damn intervention.

"Levi! Are you okay? Did that filthy vermin try anything with you?" Rebecca was on me in seconds, her voice sharp with concern that didn't quite feel real.

"Nothing at all," I said, brushing past her, forcing calm into my tone.

"That kind of guy just isn't any good, man," Charlie shook his head like he pitied me. "He's clearly playing the long game."

"Omegas aren't smart enough to do that," Rebecca rolled her eyes, scoffing at him like he was being generous. "Who knows where that filthy thing has been? Who knows what he's plotting!"

"Figures," Charlie said with a laugh. "Bet they're in there pouting like a kicked puppy. That's all omegas do—whine and beg for attention."

Rebecca's lips curled in disgust. "And the moment you give them any kind of attention, they sink their claws into you. They're manipulative little things, always playing weak to get what they want."

I stayed quiet, rolling my glass between my fingers. Letting them talk.

But he didn't want my attention when I gave it to him.

He didn't bat his lashes, didn't try to seduce me. Didn't whine. Didn't beg. He didn't even want me in the room.

Instead of sinking his claws in, he used my situation against me like a damn scalpel—calculated, clean, and terrifyingly aware of his place in the food chain.

And I think what pissed me off most was that he assumed I'd hurt him.

"My dad used to say," Charlie continued, leaning back, voice slick with amusement, "omegas only pretend to be submissive. Deep down, they're the worst kind of social climbers—always looking to trap some poor alpha into taking care of them."

Rebecca scoffed. "And sluts. Don't forget that. My grandma always used to say an omega will drop to their knees for anyone who so much as glances at them. It's just in their nature."

Charlie raised his glass with a smirk. "That's why you gotta keep them in line. Can't let them think they actually have power."

My jaw tightened.

I didn't say anything, because this was just how things were. How they'd always been. I'd grown up hearing this—every alpha had. Omegas were weak. Manipulative. Worthless.

And yet—

My mind drifted to him again.

To the omega I'd left behind in that oversized suite. The one everyone told me would cling to me like a leech. The one I was now mated to, whether I liked it or not.

He wasn't clinging. Wasn't seducing. Wasn't doing anything he was "supposed" to do.

He wasn't even pretending to want me.

I thought back to the way he'd met my gaze. Calm. Steady. No fear, no desperation—just cold understanding. He knew exactly where he stood, and he still spoke to me like he was my equal.

That wasn't weakness.

That wasn't manipulation.

That was... something else.

Something I couldn't name.

I set my glass down with a quiet clink and tapped my fingers against the wood.

"Have you guys actually ever met an omega yourself before?" I asked, looking between them.

They didn't answer.

They didn't have to.

They'd never met one. Not really.

None of us had.

"It still must be some kind of trick," Rebecca said finally, her voice firm, her pride latching onto the only answer she could accept. "Omegas aren't smart enough to rely on anything else."

I clenched my jaw. Was that true?

He didn't seem stupid. He didn't act like he needed anyone.

He didn't want me.

That fact gnawed at something deep and raw inside me, something hot and ugly and offended.

He didn't want me.

"He didn't want me, though," I muttered, almost to myself. "He made it clear."

Charlie scoffed, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. "And you trusted that? Who the hell wouldn't want you, bro?"

I hesitated.

Charlie had a point.

It was impossible not to want me. I was the pack leader's son. Top of the hierarchy. Strong, good-looking, the future of the entire bloodline.

And yet—

That stupid, stubborn omega had looked me in the eye and said no. Like it didn't matter what I was.

Like he got to decide.

What kind of game was he playing?

Acting like I wasn't something worth chasing. Like I wasn't something to be worshipped, obeyed.

I was a fucking gift to this pack.

And I'd show him.

I'd make sure he understood exactly who he was dealing with.