Chapter Text

Warnings: brief mention of a past threat of noncon. Blood. Mentions of violence.

There will be no actual noncon in this story, despite some threats that are made in later chapters.

The pit boss stood in the dirt of the fighting ring, watching with cold eyes as they piled up the bodies of dead Alphas. It stank, probably, but he was immune to the smell at this point. They couldn't afford to have too many death matches, but it brought a crowd like nothing else. Now everyone was gone besides his own men, cleaning up corpses, taking fighters back to their cells. He was looking at his ledger, frowning at the numbers there, willing them to say something other than the obvious. They were barely afloat, let alone profitable enough to expand like he wanted. His subordinate walked up to him, tisking at the blood around them. The boss agreed with him about the filth, if nothing else. He hated to be dirty.

"What is it, boss man?" The boss frowned at his book.

"It's been over two years since we started back up. Profits should be higher than this. We're barely at half of what we were before the raid four years ago."

"People are nervous. Lotta guys went down at the last raid for spectating illegal fights. Three spectating charges and you go down for a good, long while." The boss was shaking his head dismissively.

"That ain't it. Kind of people who watch, they're bloodthirsty, they don't think that far ahead." Silence stretched between them, thick and dangerous.

"Little Omega we had before made us a lot of money." Now the boss was nodding, eyes narrowing.

"Speaking of Omegas, that vicious female we found, the blonde, she ready to fight?"

"We got her on suppressants, they still haven't taken yet. 'Nother week or two, she'll be good to go." The pit boss was still frowning, closing up his book, leveling his gaze on his friend.

"The one we lost at the raid, OSC took him in. We have people in there right now?"

"Nah. They keep ferreting out our informants, charging them, locking them up. We can't keep people in there, their failsafes are too good. We can hack into some of their records. Doesn't do us any good as far as letting us know when their raids are, though. They don't keep that shit online."

"I don't care about that. I want to find that vicious little bastard. I want him back in my fucking pit, tearing these Alphas open, filling my damn pockets. Get someone into those computers. Track that little fucker down for me. What was his name?"

"Levi, sir."

"Levi. Bring that Omega back here. Do whatever it takes. Make it happen."

"Okay, boss man."

"I hate it when you fucking call me that." The man sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, Kenny."

...

Hange bitched at Levi the entire way home, telling him just how shitty it was for him to creep out of Eren's house without saying a word. Her voice was grating on his nerves, would have even if the words weren't specifically tearing him open. The Omega didn't need to hear it, already knew how much of a coward he was without stupid four eyes telling him. He'd fled the Alpha's house to escape that affectionate stare, only to have Eren's hurt expression burned into his mind. It was worse, those bright green eyes full of pain. Worse than the Alpha looking at him with love in his gaze, even if it frightened the Omega. Too much emotion, too fast, planting itself too deep inside of Levi. He felt guilty about leaving before Eren's house had even faded in the distance, but there was no way for him to go back, not with all the shadows dancing through his head. It was a foreign thing to him, trying to evade a problem instead of solve it. Levi wasn't used to running from anything, anyone. Faced everything in his life head on, no hesitation, no second thoughts. No regrets.

Until now.

He regretted running away from Eren, leaving him standing in his own doorway yet looking so lost. Afraid of nothing, yet looking terrified. This Alpha who could destroy anything that got in his way underneath those vicious fists, and the sight of the Omega leaving had broken him into pieces. Broken him when he seemed so fucking unbreakable. But Levi didn't know how to do this, how to let someone close to him. How to give up control. How to trust that this Alpha would not just cause him pain. Pain was all he'd known for so long that he came to expect it behind every smile, within every palm, underneath every foot. Wrapped around every word. Laced inside every intention. For years and years, all anyone wanted to do was break him, hurt him, and now...

All Levi could do was break things. Hurt others.

He had become the very force in life he hated so much, nothing but hostility and devastation.

The only redeeming things in his life were his Omegas and the confidence he helped instill in them. The courage he pulled out from deep inside, letting them know that they were no longer victims, that they could be brave. Strong. Showed them that they could face anything. Levi wondered where that bravery and strength inside him was that morning when he had climbed out of Eren's bed to escape his kindness, simply because it was something unknown to him. He had failed in his only duty in life, the only thing he held himself accountable for. Failed his Omegas. Levi tasted bile in his throat at the thought of how pathetic he really was. Tonight Petra and the other two in her group would come to his house, and Levi would have to apologize. Tell them he was the worst kind of hypocrite, someone who said one thing and did another. Now he had to let them look at his bites and his bruises and try to tell those girls the truth that he did not want to admit to himself.

That the Omega had loved every moment of it, and even now he wished he was wrapped up in those arms. That there was truly nothing to be afraid of as long as you chose the right Alpha. Levi had chosen well, and Eren would have bent over backwards to please the Omega, to feed him, to clean him, to care for him.

Would have dragged the moon down from the heavens and presented it to Levi if he had asked.

Fate had decided to smile on him, and then Levi had spat it its face. Become his own worst enemy, sabotaging his happiness at every turn. Because you don't deserve it. Even Levi could not decipher all the things that rushed through him, so many whispers in his head it all just sounded like the wind.

A lack of control.

The foreignness of such blatant affection directed at him.

His own unworthiness, undeserving of this Alpha that was too fucking perfect for words, strong and sweet and savage,in all the best ways. And here Levi was, full of nothing but failure.

As a teacher. As a friend. As an Omega.

Failing to do his duty, time and time again.

Now his muscles were aching, legs unsteady as he stood in the kitchen spooning eggs and bacon onto a plate. Hange made breakfast and came into the living room with it, Levi eying her in confusion. She always helped him recover from his heats, since suppressants did not work on the Omega. Brought him food, helped him shower, supported him when he needed to move around. Today when Levi asked if she would bring him something to eat, she laughed in his face, talking around a mouthful of food like the animal she was.

"If you wanted someone to take care of you, then you should've stayed with your green-eyed Alpha. I'm sure he would've made you whatever you wanted, and brought it to you, and begged to feed you. I love you Levi, but you're stubborn as fuck, so you're on your own this time."

Levi knew what she was doing. Fucking knew exactly what shitty glasses was doing. Make the Omega stumble around, weak and useless, and realize how much easier it would have been to stay where he had been. Warm, and curled up in an Alpha's embrace, one who was aching to please him any way he could. Begged Levi to be his, over and over with a voice full of lust and want. The Omega could hear it even now, a whisper in his ear, 'Let me keep you. Please.' So all day long Levi dragged himself around the house, body screaming in protest with every movement, telling him just how wrong it was to want to walk, to stand, to dress. Hange's phone had been buzzing intermittently, and every time it went off she shot a conspiratorial glance at Levi and smirked. She was texting Eren. Had to be, but the Omega refused to give into her goading and ask what they were talking about. That's what she wanted him to do, so he would stab himself through both eyes and cut out his tongue before he questioned her.

About an hour before his Omegas were to arrive he managed to convince her to go to the store and buy some fruit, cheese, juice. Something for them to eat while they talked. While they talk about you. While they ask you questions about Eren. While they accuse you with their eyes but are too nervous to say what they're thinking. If anyone else had asked the Omega about his mating, he would've told them to fuck off, but Petra and the others were different. All this time Levi had been telling them that mating was nothing to be afraid of, and then he had gone into a shelter in his red heat. Planned to die. If that did not break their trust in him, he did not know what would. The Omega owed them answers, reasons, explanations. Had to try and make this up to them, somehow. Levi cared more about the Omegas he worked with than anyone else on the planet.

Or he had, before some stupid fucking Alpha showed up to turn his whole world inside out.

Hange had returned and deposited the piled of fruit and assorted snacks on the counter before disappearing into her room, leaving Levi to cut and prepare everything himself. He stood as long as he could, slicing strawberries and apples, peeling and separating orange slices, but eventually he ended up in the floor with a knife and a scowl to finish his work. It took much longer than it should have, even his hands not wanting to cooperate, but eventually he had a tray full of fruit and cheese ready. After cleaning up his mess and carefully carrying the tray to his coffee table, he collapsed onto the couch with a groan. Not five minutes later there was a knock at his door.

"Come in!" It had to be Petra, Nanaba, and Lynne, early as they always were, subconsciously afraid of drawing someone's wrath. Victimized Omegas did it all the time, and if you called them out on their extreme punctuality, they were always genuinely surprised. Hadn't even noticed they were doing it. The door swung open, and only when the person spoke did Levi realize it was not his Omegas.

"Hello, Levi." His eyes shot up, finding Erwin standing before him, looking less ragged than Levi expected after the beating he had taken. The Alpha had a black eye and a busted lip, face still swollen, but not as severely as it could have been. He still managed to look dignified, and that pissed the Omega off for some reason. Erwin sat down in a chair across the room from Levi, sniffing the air just as the Omega was doing. When he caught Erwin's Alpha scent Levi had the urge to tell him to leave, growl at him. Just being close to the blonde so soon after mating with Eren had his instincts riled. Everything in Levi was shouting that he was too close to this Alpha, that he needed to get away from him, and all Erwin had done was say hello. The Alpha was smirking, reading Levi's body language like a book. "Can't even stand to be near me right now, eh?" Levi just shrugged, feeling his anger rise. Erwin had turned GPS on in Levi's phone so he could keep track of him, had come to another Alpha's house and tried to force his way inside, all so he could talk to the Omega. All because he didn't trust anyone's judgement but his own, even if it had nothing to do with him.

"Why are you here, Erwin? I have three Omegas coming here to meet. It's Nanaba's group, and you know how she is. I can't have you making her all nervous." Nanaba was his most withdrawn Omega, could barely stand to be in the same room as an Alpha, especially one as dominant as Erwin.

"Why are you here, Levi? I thought you'd be at that Alpha's house today. Surely he didn't tell you to leave?" Levi was shaking his head, wanting to smack Erwin for asking such a thing. Levi's Alpha was none of Erwin's fucking business.Your Alpha? His fury fell away, replaced by shock at the possessiveness he was feeling, like he wanted to come to Eren's defense in the face of Erwin's words.

"No. I had Hange come get me this morning." Erwin cocked his head, brows furrowing in confusion.

"And he just let you go without a word?" Levi cringed, rubbing his hands up and down over his face.

"He might have been asleep." Now Erwin was cringing, looking truly sympathetic.

"Fucking ouch, Levi. That's cold, even for you." Hange's words came back to him, pairing with Erwin's, stabbing into him. 'That's shitty, even for you. That's cold, even for you.'Because Levi was shitty and cold, but was now sinking to new levels of cruelty. Levi tisked at the Alpha, shooting a vicious glare his way.

"Oh, now you're on my ass too, even though he beat the fuck out of you yesterday? I can't catch a break." The blonde sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, eyes on the ground. Erwin's eyes were never on the ground, and Levi found his breath catching in surprise.

"He didn't do anything wrong, he was just defending his territory and his Omega. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was to blame here. I interrupted a rutting Alpha in the middle of a mating, it was my fault. I let my emotions get the best of me, something I pride myself on never doing. I came here to apologize." Levi was amazed, but his words coming out fast and venomous.

"It's him you should be apologizing to, not me. He's the one who's house you tried to go in against his wishes. While he was in rut, and me inside in heat. You fucking stupid Alpha bastard, you know better." Erwin was rubbing his hands over his face now, head dropping closer to the ground in submission. Levi almost wanted to take a picture.

"I know, and I will make things right with him, as well. But that's not all I had to apologize to you for." The blonde lifted his gaze, meeting Levi's eyes but without a trace of challenge in his own. "I wanted to tell you I was sorry... for before. For what I said to you about your final heat. I was wrong, Levi. I've never been so wrong. I think you were wrong too, that your decision was not the right call to make, but it still wasn't my place to... to threaten you that way. I know I've told you this a dozen times but it still doesn't feel like enough. What do I need to do to make you believe me? So we can go back to how we were? It's never been the same between us. We used to be friends. I'm not sure what we are now." Levi blinked a few times, unsure what to say, feeling that stare on him. Erwin was waiting, begging him silently to answer, holding his breath. The Omega sighed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Erwin. I can't just flip a switch and forget what happened. You... you threatened torape me. Made me drop my eyes, forced me into a corner. I still get pissed off just thinking about it. I know you just want what's best for me, but that's the thing, you always think you know better than everyone else. About everything. And sometimes you do. But sometimes you don't, and you don't know when to back down. It's barely been six months since it happened, maybe eventually I'll be able to get over it. I'm still your friend, Erwin, always will be. Just give me some more time." A wry smile came to Erwin's lips.

"Maybe once you bond with that Alpha, you'll be able to forgive me." Levi felt himself bristling.

"Who says I'm going to bond with him?"

"I do. It's written all over your face. The way you're barely holding back from ordering me out of here. Your instincts don't want you around another Alpha right now. Because you've chosen yours, now."

"You don't know anything, eyebrows." Erwin laughed.

"I know I'm about to piss you off, before I go. I did a background check on a Mr. Eren Jaeger." Levi narrowed his gaze on the blonde, found himself rising to his feet, no trace of the unsteadiness he'd been dealing with all day. Levi felt anger like never before filling him. Could taste it like acid in his mouth.

"You fucking what? You're a goddamned psychopath. You can't do a background check on someone without their permission."

"I can if they're involved with a victimized Omega on the payroll of the OSC. I can quote articles and section numbers of protocol, if you want." Levi took a step forward, teeth bared at Erwin viciously.

"Is that what I am to you, Erwin? A 'victimized Omega'? Get the fuck out of here. Whatever you found out invading Eren's privacy, I don't want to fucking hear it."

"He's an Alpha with a staggering amount of self-control who got the better of me in hand-to-hand combat. Why do you think I did it, Levi?" The Omega blinked, some of his anger easing back, though he remained standing.

"You want him for the fucking OSC." The Alpha nodded, and Levi sighed. "He's already got a job. One he's pretty fond of, from the way he talks. Just leave him alone."

"It's not like we go on raids and stakeouts every day, he could keep his job. I think he'd be an asset to our team."

"Your team. Being on your team is dangerous, Erwin. How many men have you lost in the last year? A dozen? Your interest in someone is bad for their fucking lifespan." Those bright eyes glinted, head tilting, canine and amused.

"Protective, are we?" Levi was baring his teeth again without realizing it, and Erwin had the balls to laugh. "I am interested, but I found something troubling in his files. When he was serv-" Levi cut him off.

"Shut it. Right now. I don't want to know, it is not my business, and it's definitely not your place to make it my business. If Eren wants me know, he'll tell me himself."

"Levi-"

"GET OUT! Goddamnit, Erwin. Why are you like this? I thought you wanted to tell him you were sorry." Levi collapsed back into the floor with a grunt. "Get out here, my Omegas will be here any second." Erwin stood, walking to the door with a frown on his face.

"I'm not trying to tell you stay away from him, or keep you two apart. I think he's good for you, probably. But you need to be careful, Levi. He's... been through some things. Some things I'd like to talk to him about. I want you to give him my phone number, see if he'll meet with me. That's all."

"I'll tell him you want to apologize and give him your number. It's up to him if he wants to talk to you. Go away, Erwin. All your fucking plotting and bullshit is too exhausting for me to deal with today."

"I was right about one thing." Levi glanced up, brows furrowed. "I pissed you off before I left." Stupid Alpha smiled, like he was enjoying all this.

Erwin opened the door, almost running over Petra as he did so. He nodded at the three Omegas in greeting before he headed down the driveway, and Nanaba and Lynne were visibly relieved he was leaving. They filed in, shutting the door behind them as they sat down in the floor around Levi's coffee table, greeting Levi without really looking at him as they settled in. Get a bunch of ex-harem Omegas together, and they will inevitably sit on the ground if given the opportunity. Levi had seen it time and time again in Omega halfway houses, recently raided harems, and with his own Omegas, himself included. There's no hierarchy on the floor, no one above anyone else, no posturing, no dominance. Everyone was equal, and even if it was uncomfortable physically there was something soothing about it, a sense of unity. At first he'd tried to fight the instinct, but after awhile he realized it was not negative, or harmful, so he gave up. Now his meeting rooms had pillows on the floor instead of chairs, and his Omegas relaxed that much faster. Levi knew when the girls looked up and caught sight of him, caught his scent thick with that of an Alpha, because they gasped in unison.

"Levi, oh my God. I don't think I've ever seen an Omega look like that after a consensual mating." Petra didn't say anything about the smell, didn't have to. Their noses were wrinkling, shoulders going tense as they took in Eren's scent. Levi just smiled, could feel their eyes taking in all the bite marks on his throat. "Fuck's sake. Are you okay?" Nanaba and Lynne were silent as always. It would be a few minutes before they found their voices, and Petra was mouthy enough for all three of them anyway.

"I'm fine. Listen, before we get into all this..." He looked up, meeting all their gazes in turn. Waited for them to drop their eyes, waited until they looked up again. Only when each girl held his stare for long moments did he move to the next. "I need to apologize to you. I'm so sorry. I went into a red heat, knew it was coming, and instead of finding an Alpha I went to a shelter. Not to mate, but to die. I've spent all this time preaching at you, telling you that mating was not so bad, that you guys are capable of anything, and I was incapable of facing it myself. I'm a hypocrite, and I know how much it must have upset you guys when they told you I wasn't going to be working with you anymore and you figured out why. I don't know how you found out, because the OSC wouldn't have told you anything, but-"

"I TOLD THEM!" Hange was there, bursting into the room and sitting on the floor between Nanaba and Lynne, grabbing a handful of grapes. She always crashed his Omega meetings, and even if it annoyed Levi, it was good for them. The Beta was loud, and outgoing, and totally harmless. For them, anyway.

"Of course you did. Anyway, what I did was wrong. I was..." Fuck, the words didn't want to come out, and they needed to hear them. Needed to hear the truth ringing through them, realize that everyone was scared sometimes. If there was anything in life he was bound to, it was these Omegas, their recovery, their independence. Levi took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, dragged his gaze up. "I was afraid. I didn't want to give up control to some Alpha. But after everything was said and done, there was nothing to be afraid of." He went quiet, unable to force anything else past his lips. Knew Petra had a million goddamned questions, anyway, all of them invasive and awkward and cringe-worthy.

"It's okay, Levi. We know you wouldn't have really let yourself succumb. You had a moment of weakness. We understand." Nanaba. Nanaba was talking, telling him it was okay, telling him she understood, as the other girls nodded in agreement. They looked so fucking sincere, it made Levi's chest ache. Those feelings of unworthiness crashed back down around him, and it was harder to breathe than it should be. Levi's eyes were stinging, and he would tear them from his head before he let these Omegas see him cry. He blinked a few times, about to say thank you, when Petra cut off his words.

"So the Alpha you mated came to the shelter, saw you there, took you to his house." Levi nodded in response. "What is he like? Is he cute? He has to be, if YOU agreed to mate with him. I just can't picture it in my head, an Alpha that you would mate with." These were not the mating questions he had expected from her. His brows furrowed, but before he could answer Hange was pulling out her phone with a squeal.

"I have pictures!" Levi rolled his eyes as she brought up an image of Eren, probably the same one she had sent to his phone, and flashed the screen at the Omegas. "Isn't he adorable?" Nanaba blushed, Lynne smiling at Levi after she saw the photo, but Petra's jaw dropped.

"Oh dear God Levi, he's beautiful. Why are you even here and not at his house? Your mating just finished late last night, I know you're still sore and weak and miserable. Don't most Omegas stay with their Alphas for a couple of days until they recover?" Her vision clouded, and she looked at the bites on Levi's throat again, expression going serious. Petra looked... protective. Angry. He'd never seen her like that before. "Did he ask you to leave? Is he an asshole, or something?"

"Oh, Levi snuck out this morning at dawn while he was sleeping." Fucking. Hange. Levi was cringing, rubbing a hand over his eyes, staring at the floor. Embarrassed. Ashamed all over again. The three Omegas gasped at once again, Petra speaking in a voice that was louder than necessary.

"YOU DIDN'T!" Levi just nodded, pulling his gaze up to face those horrified faces. "That's so mean. I bet he was devastated." He was. Levi didn't say anything, just bathed in those appalled looks that he knew he deserved. "Has he called you? Tried to check on you?" The Omega was shaking his head, only to have Hange correct him.

"He's been texting me all day! 'How's Levi? Is he eating? Do you guys have enough food, I can bring him something and leave it on your porch if he doesn't want to see me. Do you have anti-imflammatories, he's probably sore. If you need medicine let me know. Is he moving around okay? I was too rough on him, I feel so guilty. It's no wonder he ran from me.' " Fresh guilt washed over the Omega as the girls gathered around Hange's phone, reading the messages as she scrolled through them. Levi wanted to tell her to stop, but as torn up as he looked it was probably good for them to see that the Alpha was worried. He couldn't even manage to be angry about it. After long moments Petra was looking up, biting her lip before speaking.

"Levi, you broke him! That's so sad! I want to give him a hug, I feel so bad for him." The girls were looking at Levi in shock, gaping, and it took a few moments to realize that he wasgrowling. A few more to realize why. Petra said she wanted to hug Eren, and the sounds poured from his throat without Levi even being aware of it. The growl cut off abruptly, and he felt a blush painting his cheeks.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to do that." Petra and Hange were giggling at the display of possessiveness, the Omega calling Levi out on his bullshit just as he would anyone else.

"You've got it just as bad. Why did you leave?" He shrugged, couldn't answer. Couldn't tell them he was incapable of letting Eren be kind to him. Levi thought his Omegas would want to know how long the mating lasted, about the aftereffects, if it hurt, what to expect. He should have known better. Then Nanaba's quiet voice broke the quiet, soft and unsure.

"Can we meet him?" Levi's eyes shot up and she withered under his stare. He had to gentle his expression, take a few deep breaths, process what she had said.

"Wh-why?" If it had been Petra, the Omega would have said no immediately, knowing that she just wanted to ogle the Alpha, make Levi face what he had run from. But Nanaba never asked for anything, would not have dared to do so unless she had a serious reason. The blonde shifted, biting her lip, toying with her nails.

"I-it's just... I mean... you look rough, Levi. Worse than a lot of the Omegas in my harem looked when they came back from a forced mating. I know you're trying to reassure us, but if anything it makes me more nervous. My neck hurts just looking at you, and even reading those messages I can't picture some gentle, caring Alpha tearing you up that way. I-if we could meet him, could see for ourselves that he's nice, it would make me feel better. B-but, it's fine, we don't have to, I don't want to make you uncomfortable... just forget I asked." Levi couldn't. Couldn't forget she'd asked. Nanaba hardly spoke, let alone requested something like this. Then Lynne looked up, hopeful, pleading with those wide eyes of hers. Petra remained silent, knowing that she would only make Levi more likely to say no if she said anything. Levi ran his hands over his face, sighing, knew they had him right where they wanted him.

"He has a job, he might be working today for all I know. I can't ask him to drop everything and come over here."

"Oh, but he's not working! They sent him home! Something about how his scent is still too overpowering for the clients at the dojo where he works." Levi glared at Hange, furious with her for more reasons that he could name. Part of him was jealous that she knew more about the Alpha than he did. Four sets of eyes were locked on the Omega. Hopeful. Anticipating his answer. Levi had lost, and he knew it.

"He's not some normal Alpha. He ruts twelve times a years. He's... overwhelming." Hange's eyes lit up, and that's when Levi realized his mistake.

"He ruts twelve times a year? Oh my God, Levi, I need a blood sample! I need to run tests on that for my fertility studies! Get him over here!"

"Hange-"

"IT'S FOR SCIENCE! If you don't call him, I will. Why wouldn't you tell me about the rutting thing, you're so selfish!" Hange would call him, and if he did not want to come she would go to his house to take his blood. The thought of the Beta seeing Eren in his home alone made Levi want to growl all over again. At Hange. Fuck, he was pathetic.

"Fucking goddamnit."

Levi pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found the one Hange had put Eren under. 'Sexy Beast Man.' He rolled his eyes, fingers itching to change the name but then four eyes would be winning, somehow. Levi stared at it for long moments, unable to press the call button with all those eyes on him. He staggered to his feet with a curse, stumbling into his room and shutting the door behind him before he collapsed onto his bed. Hange had put Eren's photo in as the contact photo as well, and those bright green eyes stared at him, wide and knowing. Saw through him, even just from the screen of his phone. Levi could picture them staring down at him from above, looking at him like he was everything there was in life. The whole world. Could hear Eren panting out his name. Feel the ghost of those hands on his skin. The Omega closed his eyes as he tapped the screen, pulling it to his ear, holding his breath as he listened to it ring. Once, twice...

"Hello?" Levi shuddered at that dark voice in his ear, questioning, uncertain. Not believing that Levi would actually call him. It had been less than a day since he'd heard it, but it did strange things to him inside. Made him feel warm, and breathless. There were people talking in the background, and the Omega wondered where he was, who they were, what he was doing. Bit back the questions with sharp, unmerciful teeth.

"Eren. It's Levi." He heard a rough exhale, those background noises fading away into nothingness as though the Alpha was walking away from them. When Eren spoke again, his voice was full of some strong, strange emotion.

"Levi."

Levi knew what it was.

It made him afraid.