Chosen (Omega Levi x Monarch Reader)

Chapter 8: Levi

Levi didn't have to wait long. Less than half an hour after he'd returned to his room, a uniformed attendant arrived to tell him the results of his date. The queen wished for him to stay.

He couldn't deny the sense of relief he felt as he flopped onto his stupidly plush bed, staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Sure, the queen had told him she'd had a good time, and she'd seemed sincere. Even so, he'd wondered. He still found it difficult to fathom why she wanted him to continue in the Choosing.

He also couldn't figure out why he felt relieved. It wasn't as if he wanted to be chosen as the Royal Consort, to spend the rest of his life as an incubator for little princes and princesses, then as a glorified decoration once his fertility ended. Yet...when he'd been with the queen, she'd somehow made him forget about all of that. She didn't feel like the queen. She felt like a normal person, perhaps even...someone he might've been friends with, if they'd been born into the same social caste.

She was obviously considerate, and warmhearted, and authentic. They had at least two things in common – tea and stargazing – which he supposed was a good start. And when she'd been showing him the constellations, she hadn't seemed condescending at all. Levi appreciated someone who could teach him things without making him feel stupid for not already knowing them.

On top of all that, she was quite beautiful. He'd thought so from their very first meeting, but back then, it had been an objective observation – merely an acknowledgement of a fact. However, now...that beauty did something to him. When she'd knelt beside his chair during their date, he'd felt a strange, light fluttering inside his stomach. And when she'd smiled, his heart had practically leapt into his throat.

Levi wasn't an idiot. He may have been inexperienced in romance, but he knew what all that meant. He was attracted to her, and while the idea of being attracted to an alpha would've normally been distasteful and somewhat frightening to him...he figured it was safe, in this case. The queen didn't seem anything like the bastard who'd abused and abandoned his mother.

But that still didn't mean he wanted her to breed him.

He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. As usual, sleep didn't come to him easily, but this time, for a different reason. His mind was filled with thoughts of the queen, replaying every minute he'd spent with her, and wondering what it would be like when he saw her again.

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When the round was finished, there were seventeen omegas left.

Levi was surprised to see, once again, no one from his group had been eliminated. Annie remained, too. The other eleven were omegas he didn't know well.

As they awaited the announcement of the next round, Levi continued to spend most of his free time reading with Armin. While Levi's progress was almost painfully slow – but getting better – Armin tore through books like lightning through a tree. His focus was intense, and could usually only be broken by someone calling his name several times.

However, there was one other thing that routinely pulled Armin's attention away from his books.

Now, sitting beneath one of the trees in the courtyard, Levi observed the phenomenon again. The second Annie stepped outside, Armin's eyes slid straight to her, and a blush colored his cheeks. The kid was obviously in love.

"You're staring," Levi muttered. "...Again."

"What?" Armin gasped, nearly dropping the book in his hands as his wide eyes shot to Levi. "I wasn't...I mean...I was just...again?"

Levi shrugged and leaned his chin into his palm. "You do it every time she's around. At meals. Here in the courtyard."

"Oh," Armin mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck while his blush intensified. "I didn't mean to. I just...um..."