Chapter 2: First Task

Levi was woken up the very second the sun found its way into the sky. He had not slept well. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt like someone might enter the room and strangle him in his sleep.

When the knock finally came, it was sharp and impersonal. He sat up quickly, heart already climbing into his throat.

A different servant stood in the doorway this time, a young man with carefully neutral features and a pressed black uniform. "You have been summoned," he said. "The Alpha is waiting."

Levi’s mouth went dry. He had not expected to be called before the Alpha so soon, and he had not prepared himself for such a meeting. He nodded once, smoothed the front of his shirt with slightly unsteady hands, and immediately followed.

The east wing felt colder in daylight. Marble floors reflected the morning light in long, clean lines. The servant walked ahead without speaking, and Levi kept his gaze lowered the way he had been taught since he presented. Omegas who stared too long invited trouble. Omegas who took up space invited worse.

They crossed into a wider corridor, then into a formal receiving room that made the rest of the house feel almost modest by comparison. High ceilings, dark wood paneling, tall windows draped in heavy fabric. A long table of polished black stone dominated the center of the space. At the far end, seated in a high-backed chair that looked more like a throne than furniture, was the Alpha.

He was older than Levi had imagined, but age had only sharpened him. He was broad-shouldered with silver threading through dark hair. His presence filled the room the way pressure filled deep water, and the scent that rolled off him was one of pure dominance without the heat of youth..

Standing slightly to the side, near one of the tall windows, was a younger man.

Kai.

Levi already knew who he was from one glance, more than half the kingdom knew who Kai was. He was the eldest of the Alpha’s three sons. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, tall and leanly built, with the same dark hair as his father and a face that gave nothing away. His arms were loosely crossed. His expression was unreadable, and he watched Levi the way a predator watched its prey.

The servant who had brought him bowed and withdrew, closing the heavy doors behind him with a soft, final sound.

There was a brief silence, but to Levi, it felt like an eternity.

The Alpha regarded Levi for a long moment. His gaze moved over him slowly, assessing, dismissing, and then assessing again. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, and every word carried an aura that commanded instant respect.

"So," he said. "This is what the Hill family offers in place of my daughter."

Levi kept his eyes on the floor. "Yes, Alpha."

"Look at me when I speak to you."

The order landed like a hand around his throat. Levi lifted his gaze. Meeting those eyes felt like standing too close to an open flame.

The Alpha’s mouth curved, but it was not a smile. "Smaller than I expected. Quieter too. An omega." He said the word as though it explained everything and disappointed him at the same time. "My daughter was a dominant, strong and bright Luna. She would have led one day. And in her place, I am given... this."

Heat crawled up the back of Levi’s neck. Shame, mixed with the sharp edge of fear engulfed him. He knew he wasn’t worth equal to the Alpha’s daughter so he said nothing. There was nothing safe to say.

"You understand why you are here," the Alpha continued. It was not a question, but he waited anyway.

"Yes, Alpha," Levi answered. His voice came out thinner than he wanted. "I am payment. For the blood debt."

"Payment." The Alpha tasted the word and found it lacking. "A poor one. Your family took a life of value and returned something that barely qualifies as equal. An unmated omega with no training, no standing, and a scent already turning sharp with fear." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you believe your life is equal to hers?"

Levi’s throat worked. The honest answer was no. He had never been taught to believe his life was equal to much of anything. "No, Alpha."

"Correct." The Alpha leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled. "Your family should have been made to bleed for what they did. A life for a life is the old law, but it is not always the most satisfying one. I considered taking more. Your father, one of your brothers. The mother who raised the careless fools who killed my child." His gaze remained steady, almost conversational. "In the end I decided a living reminder would serve better than more bodies. You will remain as that reminder."

Kai had not moved. He still watched from where he stood, his expression unchanged.

The Alpha continued, voice never rising. "You belong to this household now. You will live here, and you will work where you are told, and you will not forget, even for a moment, that you are here because your bloodline took something from mine."

He paused for a second to regain his composure. He was the Alpha, he would not let grief and rage get the better of him in front of an omega.

"You will remain until I decide the price has been paid. Or until I decide it never will be. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Say it properly." The old wolf thundered, and Levi complied immediately.

"I understand that I am payment for my family’s crime. I belong to this household until you decide otherwise."

"And your family?"

"They deserved to be punished more for what they did."

The Alpha studied him for another long moment, as if weighing whether the submission was genuine or merely well-practiced. Then he gave a single, shallow nod.

"Kai."

The eldest son finally pushed away from the window and crossed the room with quiet, unhurried steps. He stopped a few feet from Levi. Up close, his scent was cleaner than his father’s. He looked Levi over once, the same way one might examine a piece of furniture that had been delivered damaged.

"He looks weak," Kai said. His voice was lower than his father’s, almost bored. "Try not to drop him on the stairs."

The Alpha’s expression did not change. "He will learn quickly or he will suffer for it. Either outcome is acceptable." He flicked his fingers in a small gesture of dismissal. "Take him out. I have other matters."

Kai inclined his head and turned toward the doors. Levi followed, legs slightly unsteady, the weight of the Alpha’s attention still pressing against his spine even after the doors closed behind them.

In the corridor, Kai did not look at him again. He simply walked ahead until they reached the junction where the formal halls met the east wing. There he stopped.

"Do not make my father repeat himself," he said without turning. "And do not make me have to notice you more than necessary." Then he continued down the opposite hallway and disappeared around a corner, leaving Levi alone with the echo of his own pulse.

A different servant appeared almost immediately, as if he had been waiting for the exact moment Kai left. He was older than the one who had summoned Levi that morning, mid twenties, neat, with the carefully blank expression of someone who had long ago learned which emotions were safe to show.

"Levi Hill," he said. It was not a question. "I am Merrick. I have been assigned as your guide for the time being. You will answer to me for daily tasks and movement within the house. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Levi said.

Merrick’s gaze flicked over him, noting the tension in his shoulders, the way he still held himself as though expecting a blow. "Your first task is simple. The second son requires a bath prepared. You will go to his private chambers, run the water to the temperature marked on the wall, lay out the towels and oils on the list beside the tub, and leave before he returns. You will not touch anything that is not on the list. You will not linger. You will not speak if he happens to arrive while you are still there. Do you understand?"

Levi nodded.

"Words, omega."

"I understand."

Merrick handed him a small folded paper with a brief set of instructions and a hand-drawn map of the relevant wing. "Memorize the route. You will not be escorted after today. Mistakes will be noted." He gestured down the corridor. "Go. The second son dislikes waiting."

Levi took the paper. The paper felt too light for how heavy the morning had already become. He turned in the direction Merrick indicated and began walking.

The halls of the family wing were quieter, warmer, and thick with the layered scents of the three brothers. Levi kept his breathing shallow and his eyes on the floor, counting doorways the way the map instructed. When he finally reached the correct door, he paused only long enough to steady his hands before pushing it open.

The bathroom beyond was all dark stone and soft light. A deep tub sat beneath a wide frosted window. Bottles of oil and clean folded towels waited on a low shelf. A small metal plaque on the wall listed the exact temperature the second son preferred.

Levi stepped inside, closed the door softly behind him, and set to work.

Levi moved quickly and quietly, the way he had been taught to move in spaces that did not belong to him.

The instructions on the paper were precise. He turned the taps until the water reached the exact temperature marked on the small metal plaque, then adjusted them again when the steam rose a fraction too thick. He laid the thick dark towels on the heated rack in the order listed. He set the three glass bottles of oil on the low stone shelf beside the tub, exactly as the note required. He did not open them. He did not touch anything that had not been written down.

The bathroom was warm and humid already. The air smelled of clean stone and the faint residual scent of the man who used this space every day. It was stronger here than it had been in the hallway.

He wiped a stray drop of water from the rim of the tub with the edge of a cloth, then stepped back to check his work one last time. The water was perfect. The towels were aligned. The oils stood in a neat row. Nothing looked disturbed. Nothing looked like an omega had been here longer than necessary.

He was reaching for the door when it opened inward.

Levi froze.

The second son, Aaron, stood in the doorway, one shoulder leaning lightly against the frame. He was taller than Kai, broader through the chest and arms, skin still damp as though he had come from another wash or from the training grounds. A dark towel hung low around his hips. Another was draped loosely around his neck, catching the water that trailed from his hair. His scent rolled into the room in a warm, heavy wave. and Levi’s omega instincts reacted before his mind could catch up. His spine straightened. His gaze dropped. The urge to make himself smaller rose so sharply it almost hurt.

The second son’s eyes moved over him once, slow and unreadable. He did not look surprised to find someone in his bathroom. He did not look pleased either. He walked forward towards Levi, forcing the omega back until his back hit the wall. He further covered the space, stopping only when his body heat engulfed the boy, and their faces were inches apart. And only did he speak.

"And who might you be?"