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I didn’t lie to Saren when he’d asked about traditionalists. They don’t typically exist out in the Barrens. Levi certainly isn’t a damn traditionalist. A horrible vision spears through my skull. Him on his knees, Saren bent over, his tongue deep in his—

“Mother fucker,” I hiss and tug at my hair.

Maybe the torture I’m anticipating has little to do with Saren and everything to do with me. How I rejected him and his insane plan. Levi had it in his head that just because we were fucking, I’d bend the knee and follow his command. He was sorely mistaken. I left a mark to remind him what happens when a Telex thinks they can control me.

Now that I’m here, it’s all so clear to me. Levi is going to replicate the serum, distribute it en masse, and bring about a genocide. That wasn’t the plan—never was. Salem would kill him on the spot if he knew.

That’s why he needs me.

Fuck.

My gun is empty, so I don’t bother drawing it. Besides, Levi needs me alive if he wants his way. Grinding my teeth, I push through the trees and step directly into his camp. His rag-tag crew has grown significantly in the past few years. Numbers easily in the hundreds. Unlike my home base, he’s clearly gotten help from Hale Valley. Cozy cabins line the back perimeter, a long house smack in the center. People walk around the communal fire without so much as sparing me a glance.

They knew I would come.

They’re banking on my soft spot for the cause.

“LEVI!” I call out.

Saren’s scent is distinct among the crowd, but faint.

I’m still fuzzy from the toll, but I walk forward with purpose, refusing to let it show. My hands stay fisted at my sides. Even though everyone knows I'm here, no one approaches. Like hot coals in my stomach, my anger burns through every vein. I let my alpha take over, spewing my scent in the air like rancid piss. Heads whip in my direction.

“LEVI!” I roar, making my voice boom.

Nostrils flaring, I latch onto Saren and make a beeline in that direction.

Halfway into the camp, though, I freeze. A new scent catches on the weak breeze. My head whips the other way. Salem. Nina. Kaya. I’m fucking torn. Knowing they were here, might still be here—I can’t make myself step toward them. It’s what I should do, what the entire point of this horrendous mission has been. And yet…

“Ever the predictable one,” a voice says.

I glance over my shoulder.

Emeralds bore into my face. A sly smirk curls his lips. Fucking Levi.

I thought I’d seen the last of him years ago.

But unlike the first time I laid eyes on the omega, my knees stay strong. My alpha pointedly ignores his cloyingly sweet smell. I frown slightly, then let the expression melt off my face.

“Where is he?”

Levi chuckles. “Safe, for now.”

I spot my parting gift on his jaw: the blackened scar that never fully healed. What strikes me as odd is how unbothered he is by it. Seems he’s not as vain as he used to be. I turn to meet him head-on, not trusting my back to this fuck for any longer. We both know what he wants, and I have half a mind to strike him down right now.

“You must be hungry and thirsty,” he says easily, gesturing towards the long house.

“Cut the shit, Levi. I’m not here to be wine and dined.”

Humming under his breath, he tilts his head up to the sky, baring his throat in a way he knows appeals to me. I snarl and rush him. “Where. Is. He.” My gloved hand ensnares his neck, and I yank him closer. I realize it’s a mistake too late. The man beams at me and grabs my hips.

“We need to talk, Novamon.”

My ears twitch at the name.

My true name.

I thrust him away too fast. “Never speak that word,” I hiss. “Are you insane?”