Sara’s POV
The door to the house opens before Levi and I get there. A tall blond woman with crystal blue eyes so sharp and penetrating I can feel their effect from all the way down here appears.
From behind her appears a young man who comes towards us. He takes the car keys from Levi and gets in the car.
Levi looks at me. “Come on and meet my mother.”
His mother? My eyes slide back to the woman, whose eyes are still focused on me. They give nothing away, so I can’t tell whether she is happy to see me or not.
Levi leads the way to the porch. She places her hands on his shoulders and kisses his cheeks. Then he steps back and stands beside me.
“Mum, this is Sara Mae.”
I’m about to offer her a hearty greeting when she beats me to it. “I finally get to meet the Omega girl who thinks my son is not good enough for her.”
My heart stutters behind my ribcage. Levi said his parents couldn’t wait to meet me. He left out the most important part, it seems.
“Mum,” Levi calls his mother in a tone that begs her to not go down that road.
His mother’s gaze turns to him. “You haven’t claimed her yet.”
My cheeks flame while Levi runs his fingers through his hair and blows his cheeks out. “Can we not talk about this? You could invite us in first, you know.”
She shakes her head but turns back towards the door. “She is here with you,” she says as she opens the door and leads us through the entryway. “That means she has accepted you, no?”
“Mum, can we”
“Yes,” I interrupt him, “I’ve decided to take him as my mate.”
Levi turns to me in surprise. His mother stops abruptly and turns around. “That’s good news,” she says, her lips stretching in a smile and her blue eyes suddenly twinkling. She touches Levi’s arm. “I’ll leave you to show her to your room, then. When you’re done, Tristan will have some late breakfast waiting for you.”
“My room?” Levi asks.
She nods, and then looks between us. “Of course. Why, would you rather have separate rooms?”
Levi looks like he is about to protest some more, but the young man who took away the car keys earlier appears through an interior door with our luggage. Levi’s mother turns her attention to him and asks him to take the stuff up to Levi’s room.
“I have business in town right now,” she says, turning back to us, “but we’ll talk more when I get back. I’m very curious about you, Sara.” When she looks at me this time, her eyes aren’t as closed off. “Feel at home. It is your home from now on, after all.”
“Thank you, Mrs Fox.”
With one last pat on Levi’s arm, she is gone. I inhale deeply and then release my breath slowly. I think that went a hell lot better than I feared.
“Let’s talk upstairs,” Levi says.
I glimpse into a well-furnished living room as we head to the stairs. If Levi’s car didn’t give it away, this house doesthe Foxes are loaded.
We take the staircase to the second floor of the house and run into the man from earlier as he leaves a room.
He steps to the side and addresses Levi. “Sir, would you like anything in particular for breakfast?”
“Just the usual,” he says.
The man nods and leaves.
“That’s Tristan,” Levi tells me as he opens the door to the room the man just vacated. “He is our housekeeper. If you need anything, he’ll get it for you.”
Levi’s room is huge and decorated in gold, black, and white. A huge bed sits in the middle, and the far wall is entirely made of glass, giving a great view of the outdoors.
“You didn’t have to say that to my mother,” he says as he closes the door behind him. “Don’t let her make you feel rushed or anything. I’ll have Tristan prepare a guest room for you.”
He is talking about me telling his mother that I’m ready to accept him as my mate. Since I haven’t told him my decision yet, he must think I said it to get her off our backs, or because I felt pressured.
“I meant it,” I tell him.
He frowns at me. “What?”
My fingers dig into the sleeve hems of my sweater, suddenly anxious. “There is nothing to think about. I’ve made up my mind. I accept you.”
His frown doesn’t let up. “Are you sure?”
I nod.
He comes forward and stops right in front of me. “You are not saying this just because you feel indebted to me, are you?”
“I”
“When I have you, I want it all. Not just your body, but your heart, and your soul. Once you are mine, I’ll protect you with my life, and I’ll never have anyone else, and I’ll give you anything you want. I’m willing to put in the time and work to make you want to reciprocate that for me. I cannot be in a one-sided relationship with you. It’ll drive me crazy.”
I’m struck speechless. I already know Levi can be very intense, but this is new. I never imagined he would be the kind of guy to bare his heart like that. Because this is different from his earlier declarations that reeked of arrogant possessiveness.
He doesn’t just want me to be his. He wants to be mine. He wants me to want him as much as he wants me. To own him as much as he wants to own me.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I want that too.”
He looks at me like he doesn’t believe me. His hands rise to my shoulders and his eyes hold mine. “Do not lie to me, Sara. If you feel grateful about me protecting you from the Alpha King, forget it. Silver Creek and Blood Moon have never been friendly. I would take any chance to piss them off. I might even challenge the Alpha King for his position. So do not accept me on account of this.”
Do I feel grateful? Hell yeah. Levi has saved my life more times than anyone else. First with the rogues, then when Victor attacked me in the president’s office, and now this.
But do I feel like I have to accept him based on that?
No. It’s more about what him doing all of that for me means. It means he gives a shit about me and cares about me the way a mate should.
Isn’t that all I’ve ever wanted? A mate who will care about me and treat me well? His attitude wasn’t the best at first, but that no longer seems to be an issue.
I also like his sincerity. Unlike someone I know who blows hot and cold. I kick that thought out. This is not the time to be stoking my anger with Christian. I’m done with him.
“Last night, you asked if I hated being attracted to you whether I want it or not. I also do not hate the idea of being mated to you. I do not wish for an alternative, and unless you hurt me, I will never reject you.”
“What if I said I would kill you if you rejected me?”
“When it comes to my freedom, even my life is worth the gamble.”
A single eyebrow arches and one hand lifts to my face. He strokes my cheek with his thumb. “I’ve never met an Omega like you. You have absolutely no sense of self-preservation.”
“So I’ve heard.”
He laughs. I’m not sure I’ve heard Levi laugh before. It’s a rich, deep sound that sends a shiver down my spine.
I want this man. I want to fall for him so badly that I’ll forget about everything and everyone. I want to make this decision and never regret it. So what am I waiting for?
I raise my hand to support myself on his arm, and then I get on my tiptoes and kiss him.