The scent of perfume was almost suffocating.
A young man in his early twenties stood in front of a floor to ceiling mirror. Staring at his reflection while his mother help him do his hair. The was his brother's room, and the first time he was allowed to step in.
For the first time in his life, Levi quinn was drowning in his mother's attention and not the wall of indifference he had always faced. Her voice reserved for his younger brother, her hands never once reaching him. Yet some how those same hands were tugging at his collar, smoothing the expensive silk shirt over his shoulders, as though she had always been a mother who cared.
It wasn't always like this, it all started seven years ago, when he clocked fourteen. He had presented as an omega, a lowly omega, they said in disdain. The irony of it was that, his mother was also an omega and so is his brother.
The day his brother presented as an omega, the mansion rang with celebration. They had a feast, went for shopping, buying new clothes for his brother, while he only got new clothes on Christmas.
"Such a gifted child"
"Our lucky charm"
"A beautiful, refined omega will surely get the best alpha"
The hypocrisy was almost funny. When it was time to give up their precious omega to the hands of the rival family, they couldn't and all of a sudden he is now the omega who will take their family to greater heights.
A few days ago, they had called him for dinner, with his younger brother who just clocked eighteen a few weeks ago.
He looked at his brother's pale appearance and heard his father's voice even before he could chew on the first mouthful.
"The sterling family had asked us to fufill the promised made between your grandparents and theirs" Mr. Quinn stared at his useless son.
While Mrs. Quinn leaned forward, with an alien smile "Yes" she said, glancing at her husband and returning her gaze to Levi. "Mr. Sterling is a very important man, Levi"
"An Alpha of his caliber… this is an honor. An opportunity to secure our family's future, to ensure Silas has the best of everything." She added.
And there it was, the mention of his brother was a pin prick to the balloon of his fragile happiness. The reason?, for Silas.
The thought should have been bitter, but years of ingrained deference made him swallow it down. He did not envy his brother's praise. What he felt, was more like, amusement laced with contempt.
Talented?
Beautiful?
"Make sure you don't mess up, i will not take any embarrassment" His father's voice brought him back to the present.
"Get in" His mother nudged him from the side. The ride was silent, the city lights blurring outside the tinted windows.
When the car finally stopped, Levi tore his gaze from his reflection on the window. The car door shut behind him, and for a moment he just stood there, head tilted back. The hotel rose into the night.
The car disappeared faster than he could turn back. As he was left alone there.
He walked across the marble floor, cool air mixed with chilling expensive cologne and polish wrapping around him.
At the reception desk, a woman with a perfect smiled looked down at him asking who he came here to see.
"I'm here to see Mr. Sterling" He answered with unease.
She ducked her head politely, fingers gliding across the keyboard. Within seconds a man in black suit appeared and escorted Levi to the elevator and to the penthouse.
The man slid a card on the penthouse door and it opened to reveal a space that was ten times luxurious than Silas's room. Floor to ceiling windows overlooking the beautiful city, furniture that probably cost more than anything he had owned.
In essence, everything here was expensive.
"Mr. Sterling would be here shortly, please make yourself comfortable" The man said as he left Levi alone.
For a moment Levi simply stood there, overwhelmed. He hadn't had the chance to slip out to the Cafe, he knew so little about the man he was meeting with today. Then, desperate to at least see the man he was about to meet he took the sleek tablet on the coffee table. He quickly typed 'Mr. Sterling'.
The photographs showed a huge bulky man who was so extraordinarily handsome.
He kept scrolling, his thumb moving past fawning business articles and paparazzi photos. He found a less-trafficked forum, a gossip board for Omegas. The thread title made his blood run cold: 'Another One for Sterling? Poor Soul.'
'Can you believe it? The Quinn family is actually sending one of their sons. I heard it is the pretty one.'
'They're feeding him to the beast!!. How tragic.'
My cousin worked at the Sterling estate. He said the last one… the screaming was awful. They had to replace the entire bed.'
The words blurred. His fingers, slick with a sudden sweat, typed a new search: 'Noah Sterling Type B Alpha.'
...third Omega partner in two years...
...funeral held privately...
His body trembled as the pieces clicked together.
Levi gasped at the sound of a keycard sliding through the lock cutting through his spiral like a blade