Chosen (Omega Levi x Monarch Reader)

Chapter 16: Levi

Everyone felt the pressure mounting. Over the next week, two of the omegas were dismissed for fighting. Three remained: Levi, Katarina, and a male with a charming smile named Hugh Carnelian.

Levi barely spoke to Hugh, but according to Katarina, he was from the province of Lazuli, and he'd recently begun a professional career as a musician. His parents weren't poor, but they weren't rich either, putting his upbringing squarely between Levi and Katarina. However, one thing Hugh did share with Katarina was stunning beauty – and Levi had to wonder how he ever ended up in the final three next to them.

Yet, physical attractiveness wasn't his main concern; as much as it baffled him, the queen did seem to like his appearance. Rather, the end of the Choosing was fast approaching, and there were two outrageous concepts with which Levi had to come to terms.

One: He was deeply, frighteningly, wonderfully in love with the queen.

Two: There was a very real, one-in-three chance that he would become the Royal Consort.

Months ago, he'd been disgusted by the idea. But it had also been nothing more than a hypothetical in his mind – a concept that, while technically possible, would never become reality. He never thought he'd actually have to face it. And he wasn't prepared.

It scared him – because he wanted it. He wanted a life that he had previously regarded as degrading and suffocating, a life as nothing more than a pretty doll who spread their legs and punched out heirs on command. Why? Had he been lulled into complacency by plentiful food and a warm bed? Had love blinded him to the harshness of reality?

As much as those anxieties nagged at him, they were only that – anxieties. They weren't true. Perhaps they would've been, if he'd been chosen by another monarch. However, he knew the queen would never treat him as an object or a slave. She'd listen to his thoughts, consider his wants and needs, respect his boundaries. Theirs would be everything a relationship was supposed to be.

While the mere suggestions of pregnancy and childbirth still made him wince, he could do it. He would do it, if that was the price of being her partner. And he knew that in spite of the difficulty, he would love any children they had together.

But perhaps what scared him most was the part which had to come next. Now that he knew he loved the queen and wanted a future with her, he couldn't continue to hide the darker aspects of his past. If she were seriously considering him for her Royal Consort, her mate, her lifelong partner, she deserved to have all the information before she made that choice. Even if knowing would cause her to choose someone else.

So, Levi resolved to tell her the truth – that very night.

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"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" the queen asked in a light tone while the two of them strolled through the garden.

Her comment might've been small talk, but the atmosphere truly was wonderful. While the day had been hot, the night had cooled the palace grounds to a nearly perfect temperature. Not a single cloud floated between them and the sky, freeing the moon and the stars to shine down upon them in full splendor.

"Yeah," Levi uttered, pulling his gaze from the now-familiar constellations to glance at the queen.

Her eyes, framed by dark lashes, glistened like stars as she stared up at the sky, and the satin fabric of her outfit made soft rustling noises as she stepped along the path. It was a deep green color, embroidered with gold – and in Levi's opinion, far too fancy for a simple stroll. He wondered if she'd come here after an important state dinner, or something of that nature.

He would've asked, but there was another, more pressing topic at hand – and he didn't want to give himself a chance to procrastinate.

Levi took a deep breath, opened his mouth...only to have the words die on the tip of his tongue. He clenched his teeth together, grinding his jaw, while his eyes fell to the path in front of him. Just say it, he chided himself. She deserves to know.

But, shit – why did doing the right thing hurt his heart so much?

"Shall we sit in the gazebo, Levi?"

At the sound of her voice, he glanced up. He'd been so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed the gazebo appear in their path. Beneath the light of the moon, its pure white walls seemed to glow, and the roses adorning its arches were in full bloom. It truly was a beautiful spot.

"Yeah. Sounds good," he grunted.

Side by side, they entered beneath the flowers. The queen smoothly gestured for Levi to sit on the bench before taking the spot next to him. Levi couldn't help noticing how gracefully she moved, like a cat perching on a rooftop. And then he couldn't help noticing the elegance of her hands as she folded them in her lap. The smoothness of her skin.

All of it only intensified his heartache.

The two of them sat quietly – and had it been any other night, Levi would've appreciated the ability to simply enjoy each other's company. Too many people felt the need to fill every bit of silence with chatter, but not the queen. That was just one more thing he loved about her.

However, tonight, instead of enjoying that silence, he used it to work up his courage. Once he told her the truth, she could send him away. She could have him arrested and thrown in jail, never to see his mother and Furlan and Isabel again. Both would be justified. He could only hope her affection for him would prevail. And if not, he hoped she'd at least be merciful enough to allow him to go home to his family.

"Levi, I..." A soft blush touched the queen's cheeks while her hands began fastidiously smoothing the fine fabric clinging to her legs. "There's something I've been thinking about at great length. Something I'd like to discuss with you –"

"Wait," he blurted. He'd interrupted her, and that was rude, and he knew it. But he needed to get this out before either of them went any further. "I have to tell you something. And it's...well, it's...you deserve to know."

The queen stared at him for a moment, her eyes a mix of curiosity and concern as they studied him. "Alright," she murmured softly, giving him a nod to go ahead.

Levi swallowed the lump in his throat. Then he opened his mouth, forcing his muscles to form the words. "There's a reason my family and I have survived in Ore when so many others haven't. I...I did things. Things...a proper Royal Consort wouldn't do."

Each sentence was a battle as he divulged everything – the fighting, the theft, the gang activity. He confessed all of his crimes, enough to send him to jail for life. Enough to turn any inkling of love she may have felt for him into disdain.

While he spoke, the queen listened silently. Her eyes watched him almost without blinking, her lips softly pursed. And when he finally reached the end, she continued to study him, her expression giving no clues to what was going on inside her head.

"I see," she murmured at last. Her voice was perfectly neutral, detached. Then she stood up abruptly – and Levi scrambled to stand with her out of respect. "Thank you for being honest with me, Levi. I have some things to think about, so if you'll excuse me."

Before he even had time to blink, she turned and walked away. Her purposeful strides rapidly elongated the distance between them, until she disappeared around a corner. Levi stood there, watching her go, listening to the fading echo of her shoes on the stone path, feeling a new fracture in his heart with each step that took her further from him. He stood there until one of the attendants came to escort him back to his room.

He didn't know how long he'd been slumped on his bed when Katarina found him. He didn't look at her, didn't say anything – but somehow, she understood anyway. The warmth of her shoulder pressed against his, and together they sat, in silence and solidarity.