Chapter 1: Collateral

Levi Hill already knew.

He stood in the narrow hallway outside the living room, bare feet cold against the old wooden floor, and listened to the low, broken voices of his parents. The argument had been going on for nearly an hour. His older brothers had stopped speaking altogether. That was how Levi knew the decision had already been made.

He was the youngest, and an omega. The one who had never been expected to amount to much.

Of course they would choose him.

The door opened, and his father stepped out first, face gray and dull. His mother followed, eyes red and swollen. Neither of them looked at him directly at first. When they finally did, it was with the kind of careful emptiness people used when they had already decided to stop fighting for someone.

"Levi," his father called out, and his heart suddenly began to race faster than ever. "Come in."

He walked into the living room and stopped just short of the door. His two older brothers sat on the couch, staring at the floor. One of them had his hands clenched so hard the knuckles were white. Neither of them looked up to even see his face.

His mother on the other hand, sat down hard in the armchair, as if her legs had given out, while his father remained standing.

"You know what happened," his father began. It wasn’t a question. "The Alpha’s daughter is dead because of us. Because of the accident on the ridge road, and now there is a blood debt."

Levi said nothing, he couldn’t even if he wanted to. His throat felt dry and tight, that he felt he wouldn’t be able to form a proper sentence even if he tried.

"The Alpha will not accept money. He will not accept land. He will not accept an apology." His father’s voice stayed flat, as if that made the words less ugly. "He demanded something of equal value. A life for a life."

There was a small silence, only broken by the very faint sobs of his mother.

"We offered you," his father finished.

Levi felt his heart sink to his stomach.He had expected it, but hearing it out loud still somehow made him tremble.

"I’m an omega," he said quietly. The words came out thinner than he meant them to. "I’m not... equal."

His father’s voice came out faster, and left no room for arguments. "It’s what he asked for. A child of this family. You are the youngest. You are the one who can be spared."

His mother finally looked at him. Tears spilled over, but she didn’t reach for him. "I’m sorry," she whispered. "I’m so sorry, Levi. We didn’t... there was no other way."

One of his brothers shifted uncomfortably. The other still refused to lift his head.

’Cowards!’ Levi sneered inwardly. This was their fault, yet here they were seated while he had to suffer for their sins. He wanted to yell, to fight and object, but he knew that wouldn’t get him anywhere. Omegas never won in this cruel world.

Levi nodded once. It was all he could manage. His omega instincts were already curling inward, trying to make him smaller, quieter, less of a problem. The instinct to submit was so deeply trained into him that even now, when his entire life was being handed away, part of him wanted to lower his eyes and say yes, Alpha to a man who wasn’t even in the room.

"You’ll leave tonight," his father said. "They sent someone. He’s waiting outside."

There was no further discussion after that.

He was given twenty minutes.

Levi packed in silence. He didn’t pack much, just a few clothes, and things he felt might be essential. He left the rest. There was no point in bringing pieces of a life that wouldn’t matter anymore in less than twenty minutes.

When he stepped back into the hallway, his mother was waiting. She pressed a small, folded piece of paper into his hand, money, he realized, and then pulled him into a brief, shaking hug.

"Be careful," she whispered against his hair. "Please be careful."

He didn’t answer. He didn’t know how. They had just given him away and she was telling him to be careful? What was he even supposed to be careful about?

Outside, a black car waited at the end of the gravel drive. The man standing beside it was tall, broad-shouldered, and expressionless. Pack enforcer. The kind who didn’t need to raise his voice to make people move.

Levi walked toward him without looking back. And only when ordered to, did he get into the car.

The drive was long and quiet. The enforcer didn’t speak, and neither did Levi. He simply kept his eyes on the dark trees sliding past the window and tried not to think about the way his own scent was beginning to sour with fear. Omegas were supposed to keep themselves controlled. Soft. Pleasant. Useful. He had spent years learning how to fold every sharp emotion inward so no one would smell how afraid he really was.

Tonight, that control was slipping.

The further they drove into the Alpha’s territory, the heavier the air became. His life has completely changed because one of his brothers had decided to drunk drive one stupid night. Now he was paying for something he had no involvement in.

When the car finally slowed, the mansion rose out of the darkness like something that had been waiting.

It was larger than anything Levi had ever stood in front of. Stone and glass and sharp, elegant lines. Lights glowed behind tall windows, and it was as imposing as the aura he could feel from those inhabiting it.

The enforcer opened the door, and spoke a single word. "Out."

He obeyed instantly. Levi stepped onto the gravel. The night smelled of pine and alpha pheromones, layered and strong. More than one. His stomach twisted.

A woman in dark clothing met them at the entrance. She looked him over once, judgemental and unimpressed, then gestured for him to follow.

"You will be housed in the east wing," she said without turning around. "You will not enter the main family quarters unless summoned. You will answer when spoken to. You will keep your scent under control. The Alpha’s sons are not to be approached. Is that understood?"

"Yes," Levi replied sharply.

She stopped in front of a door and unlocked it. The room beyond was clean, sparsely furnished, and clearly temporary. A bed, a chair and a narrow window.

"You will remain here until further instruction," the woman said. "Someone will bring food. Do not leave this room without permission."

She left without waiting for a reply, not that Levi had prepared to give her one anyway.

He stood in the center of the room for a long time, his bag still in his hand. Eventually he set it down and walked to the window. The moon was out, though not full yet, Levi could already feel it’s effect.

Three more nights. Maybe four. He pressed his forehead against the cool glass and closed his eyes. At least he wasn’t in chains, or in a dungeon. He wouldn’t exactly say he loved this, but it was way better than what he had imagined for himself.

A soft sound in the hallway made him turn. Footsteps, slow and deliberate. More than one set.

They passed his door without stopping. Levi caught the edge of their scents through the wood, deep, dominant, layered with the kind of natural authority that made his omega instincts want to fold to the floor. Three distinct signatures.

The Alpha’s sons.

They didn’t speak. They didn’t linger. But for a moment, the air outside his door felt heavier, as if something had noticed him and chosen, for now, to keep walking.

Levi stayed very still until the footsteps faded. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, hands loose in his lap, and stared at the dark window.

He was no longer a son of the Hill family, he was collateral. And the real cost of that had not even begun to be collected.